Making exquisitely decorated Easter eggs was both a tradition and an ancient craft in Russia. Long before Faberge began to create jewelry eggs for the imperial family, eggs from precious metals and stones were made for the Russian tsars. But only Carl Faberge and his talented team of artists, jewelers, stone cutters, sculptors, modelers and miniaturists have managed to bring the art of making jewelry Easter eggs to an unparalleled and unsurpassed level of grace, craftsmanship and creative imagination.
Carl Faberge and his firm's jewelers created the first egg in 1885. It was ordered by Tsar Alexander III as an Easter surprise for his wife Maria Feodorovna. The so-called "Chicken" egg was smooth and enameled on the outside, but when it was opened, it turned out to be a chicken made of gold inside. Inside the chicken, in turn, was hidden a small ruby crown (cf. the tradition of folding nesting dolls).
Faberge egg "Hen" 1885
The simplest and most classic egg: white, inside is a yolk, then a chicken, and inside it is a ruby crown (not preserved)
... Vekselberg collection
The Empress was so fascinated by the gift that Faberge, who had turned into a court jeweler, was ordered to make an egg every year; it had to be unique and contain some kind of surprise, that was the only condition. The next emperor, Nicholas II, kept this tradition, giving each spring, in turn, two eggs - one to Maria Feodorovna, his widowed mother, and the second to Alexandra Feodorovna, the new empress.
The next egg, made by the Faberge company, was the chicken with a sapphire pandanum, there is no information about it and no image. First owner - Maria Feodorovna 1886. Location - Cleveland Museum of Art, Minshell Early Indian Collection.
Faberge egg "Clock with a blue snake" 1887
Egg clock, made in the tradition of Sevres porcelain. The stationary snake serves as an arrow.
Prince Albert Collection
In total, from 1885 to 1917, by order of the emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II, about 56 Easter masterpieces were created (the exact number is unknown). The eggs, made in the workshop of Mikhail Perkhin, which after his death was headed by Heinrich Wigstrom, were distinguished by unprecedented luxury, amazing imagination, unsurpassed perfection in working out details, a virtuoso combination of a variety of techniques. Never repeating themselves, they especially impressed with the surprises they contained - miniature copies of royal yachts and cruisers with the finest gear, palaces with flowerbeds of "fluffy" gold broken in front of them, monuments strewn with stones, flowers or buds.
Faberge Egg "Cherub and Chariot" 1888
Malachite egg with a carriage, deer and three cherubs inside. The stand can be folded out and has two options.
The first owner is Maria Fedorovna. Location unknown (since 1930s), probably USA
Faberge egg "Nesser" 1889
Contains a 13-piece manicure set. Last Known Price $ 3,000,000
The first owner is Maria Fedorovna. Location unknown (lost)
Faberge egg "Danish palaces" 1890
Inside: 12 miniature paintings on mother-of-pearl - views of palaces in Denmark and Russia.
It took almost a year to make each egg. As soon as the sketch was approved, a whole team of the firm's jewelers took over the work, the names of some of which have survived (so one should not say that the author of all of them is Carl Faberge). The contribution of the master Mikhail Perkhin is especially great. Also mentioned are August Holstrom, Henryk Wigstrom, Eric Collin.
Faberge egg with a model of the cruiser "Memory of Azov", 1891
Materials: gold, platinum, silver, diamonds, rose cut diamonds, ruby, aquamarine, heliotrope, velvet. Egg length - 35/8 inches (9.3 cm); model length - 7.0 cm; model height - 4.0 cm. Technique: casting, chasing, engraving, stone carving. Inside: a model of the frigate "Memory of Azov", on which the sons of Mary were sailing at that moment. Jewelers - Mikhail Perkhin and Yuri Nikolay. Made of jade, rococo style.
The first owner is Maria Fedorovna. Stored in the State Museums of the Moscow Kremlin, inv. No. MP-645 / 1-2
The series of imperial eggs enjoyed such fame that the Faberge firm made several products for private customers (15 are known). Among them, a series of 7 eggs, presented by the gold miner Alexander Ferdinandovich Kelkh to his wife, stands apart. In addition, there are 8 more Faberge eggs, made to order (for Felix Yusupov, nephew of Alfred Nobel, the Rothschilds, the Duchess of Marlborough and unidentified persons). They are not as luxurious as the imperial ones, and they are not original, often repeating the type invented for royal gifts.
Faberge Egg "Diamond Lattice" 1892
A stand in the form of cherubs holding an egg has been lost. Jade.
Lost surprise - elephant (Danish coat of arms).
The first owner is Maria Fedorovna. Private collection, London
Perhaps, some more products were made for private individuals, but they were never documented (unlike the royal eggs), which leaves some freedom for skilled counterfeiters. An example of an unexpected discovery is the "Rothschild egg" put up for sale in the fall of 2007, which was ordered by representatives of the clan in the Faberge firm and was kept among the family property, without being advertised, for a whole century.
Faberge egg "Caucasus" 1893
Inside: miniatures with views of the Caucasus with places where the son of the empress lived. book George.
The first owner is Maria Fedorovna. Museum of art of New Orleans
Of the 71 known eggs, only 62 have survived to this day. The vast majority of them are kept in state museums. There are 54 known imperial eggs: 46 pieces have survived to this day, made by the tsar's order; the rest are known from descriptions, accounts and old photographs and are considered lost.
Faberge egg "Renaissance" 1894
Jeweler - Mikhail Perkhin. Agate. Used a type of Le Roy chest of the 17th century, kept in the "Green Vaults" in Dresden, in the homeland of Faberge. The surprise is unknown, there is an assumption that it was a crystal egg "Resurrection"
Faberge and Russia are forever inextricably linked. And not only because a German by origin, jeweler Carl Gustav Faberge, a modest and Huguenot, lived his most fruitful years in St. Petersburg. And not even because the Russian emperors (and, therefore, the entire brilliant court of the Russian Empire) loved his creations - from cufflinks to necklaces - and bought them in kilograms. Because some of Faberge's creations have become the same symbols of Russia as caviar, the Mir space station and Tolstoy's immortal War and Peace. We are, of course, talking about imperial Easter eggs.
Faberge egg "12 monograms"
Jeweler - Mikhail Perkhin. The egg was ordered by the new emperor for his mother, who had been accustomed to such gifts for a decade. The item is decorated with the initials of Maria Feodorovna and the deceased Alexander III, which are repeated 6 times. The surprise is lost.
First owner - Maria Fedorovna
Hillwood Museum, Washington, USA 1896 Written by Faberge
The custom of giving eggs on Easter dates back a long time ago. According to legend, the first Easter egg was presented to the Roman emperor Tiberius by Mary Magdalene, who came with the news of the Resurrection of Christ. And in those days it was customary to come to the emperor and present him with gifts. Wealthy people brought jewelry, and poor people what they could. Therefore, Mary Magdalene, who had nothing but faith in Jesus, handed the emperor Tiberius a chicken egg with the words: "Christ is Risen!" The emperor sarcastically remarked that the resurrection of a person from the dead is as irrational a miracle as, for example, the fact that a white egg can turn red. Tiberius did not have time to finish these words, as an ordinary chicken egg turned blood-red. In memory of this amazing event, believers give each other eggs for Easter. Some are poorer - just dyed, some richer - intricately decorated. Those who are simply obscenely rich, together with the traditional words "Christ is Risen!" give Faberge eggs.
Faberge egg "Rose bud"
The first egg presented to Alexandra Fedorovna. Surprise - a rose (in memory of Darmstadt, the motherland of the Empress, who was proud of its flowers). Inside the flower is a crown, inside of which is a pendant (lost).
Neoclassical style. Vekselberg collection 1895 Written by Faberge
The next was the "Portraits of Alexander III" egg. There is no information about him. Mentioned in the firm's invoice. Probably contained 6 portrait miniatures. The first owner - Maria Fedorovna 1896
Faberge egg "Spinning miniatures"
Rock crystal egg with 12 miniatures - types of memorial sites for the Empress
Virginia Museum of Art, Richmond, USA 1896. By Faberge
Faberge egg "Pink-lilac egg with 3 miniatures"
Lost. Presumably, the surprise inside is a heart with three portrait medallions, which has been preserved and is now in the Vekselberg collection.
First owner - Maria Fedorovna
Whereabouts unknown 1897. By Faberge
Faberge egg "Coronation"
A copy of the Imperial carriage during the coronation of Nicholas II. Jewelers - Mikhail Perkhin, Georg Stein. The most famous of the eggs.
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
Armory 1897. Written by Faberge
In 2004, Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg purchased a collection of works by Carl Fabergé from the Forbes family. 9 imperial Easter eggs and 190 other pieces of jewelry cost the businessman more than $ 100 million. However, Vekselberg insisted that the lot be removed from the auction, so it is not known how much each egg cost.
Faberge egg "Widow (Pelican)"
The egg unfolds into 8 miniature plates with institutions founded by the Widow Empress Maria Feodorovna. The pelican is a symbol of charity.
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
Virginia Museum of Art, Richmond, USA 1897. By Faberge
Thus, of the currently known Easter eggs - 10 are in Moscow, in the Kremlin; 9 - in the private collection of Viktor Vekselberg; 5 - at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; 3 - in the collection of Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain; 3 - in a museum in New Orleans; 6 - in museums in Switzerland, Washington and Baltimore (two each); one each in the collections of the Cleveland Museum and the Prince of Monaco, the rest in private collections. The whereabouts of the two Easter eggs are unknown.
Faberge egg "Lilies of the valley"
Pull-out three medallions with portraits of the emperor and his two eldest daughters Olga and Tatiana. Craftsman Mikhail Perkhin. Modern style. It is said to be the Empress's favorite egg.
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
Vekselberg collection 1898. By Faberge
Faberge egg "Pansies"
From jade. Inside the "easel" with medallions in the form of opening hearts - a family tree with portraits.
First owner - Maria Fedorovna
Private collection, New Orleans 1899. By Faberge
Faberge egg "Clock (Bouquet of lilies)"
Egg clock. Jeweler - Mikhail Perkhin. The ruby pandanus with roses is lost.
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
Armory 1899. Written by Faberge
In November of the past year in London, the world was surprised by the "Week of Russian Art" - the auction was carried out by the auction houses Sotheby "s, Christie" s, Bonham "s and MacDougall" s. On November 28, the public debut of the famous Faberge egg from the Rothschild collection took place. The egg, a gift from Nicholas II for the christening of Prince of Imereti, is a striking clock, from which instead of a cuckoo, a cockerel covered with diamonds every hour jumps out.
Faberge egg "Cockerel"
Jeweler - Mikhail Perkhin. Singing clock with a pop-up clockwork cock
First owner - Maria Fedorovna
Vekselberg collection 1900. By Faberge
The original price of the lot was 6-9 million pounds. As a result of active trading, the egg was sold for a record £ 9.2 million to an undisclosed Russian buyer. True, later it was reported that Alexander Ivanov, the director of the first private museum formed in Russia, the Russian National Museum, became the happy owner of the Rothschild egg.
Prior to that, the price record was held by the "Winter Egg", which in 1913 Emperor Nicholas II presented to his mother, Empress Maria Feodorovna. At Christie's in April 2002, it went for $ 9.579 million.
Some eggs, especially those with intricate surprises, took years to make. Surprises were generally the main intrigue of Faberge's Easter creations. Many of them were independent works of art: jewelry, graceful animal figurines, miniature models, images of people - as if nothing was impossible for first-class craftsmen. The secret of the egg remained unrevealed until the solemn presentation of the gift.
Faberge egg "Trans-Siberian Railway" 1900
Surprise - train model. Jeweler - Mikhail Perkhin
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
Armouries. Author- Faberge
Carl Faberge was born on May 30, 1846 in St. Petersburg. His ancestors, who once lived in France and were convinced Huguenots, did not voluntarily leave their homeland under the Catholic King Louis XIV.
Faberge egg "Gatchina Palace"
Image of the main country residence of the Empress's widow. Cannot be removed.
Jeweler - Mikhail Perkhin
First owner - Maria Fedorovna
Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, USA 1901. By Faberge
4 years before the birth of Charles, in 1842, his father Gustav Faberge, a jeweler, founded a company under his own name, located in one of the houses on Bolshaya Morskaya. But when Karl, the eldest of his sons, turned 14, Gustav moved with his family to Dresden. It was from there, at the insistence of his father, that Karl set off on his great "voyage", accompanied by a parting word to Europe to see and learn jewelry.
Faberge egg "Basket of flowers"
The leg was lost and restored later. The surprise is lost
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
Collection of Queen Elizabeth II of England 1901. By Faberge
The next Faberge egg was "Jade" in 1902. It is the so-called. "Medallion of Alexander III", as it supposedly contained a portrait. His whereabouts are unknown. The first owner is Maria Fedorovna.
Faberge egg "Clover" 1902
Openwork. The surprise was lost, presumably the portrait miniatures of the Grand Duchesses.
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
Armory by Faberge
After graduating from college in Paris, Faberge studied at the Louvre and Versailles, learning the intricacies of the jewelry art of the Venetians, Saxon stone cutters and French enamellers. Took lessons from the Frankfurt jeweler Joseph Friedman. Inspired and self-confident, Karl decided to return to St. Petersburg to start working there together with the craftsmen of his father, since the company continued to exist even after the family left for Dresden. Pretty soon, Carl Faberge, in his early twenties, took over his father's business.
Faberge egg "Danish Jubilee"
Surprise - double-sided portrait of King Christian and Queen Louise, parents of the Empress, in honor of the 40th anniversary of their accession to the throne.
The first owner is Maria Fedorovna.
Whereabouts unknown (lost) 1903. By Faberge
In 1895, after Agathon's death, a new chief artist, Franz Birbaum, joined the firm. With his appearance, the products acquired a new artistic style - Faberge became interested in modernity. In 1895-1903, Mikhail Perkhin was the leading master-jeweler of the House of Faberge - he made most of the famous Easter eggs.
Faberge egg "Peter the Great" 1903
Inside is a model of the Bronze Horseman. 4 miniatures on the sides with views of St. Petersburg. To the 200th anniversary of the founding of the city. Rococo.
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
Artist. Virginia Museum, Richmond, USA. Faberge author
1904 -1905 no known eggs, presumably "Resurrection" or "Bouquet of flowers", plus 2 eggs lost and unnamed.
Faberge egg "Resurrection"
According to one of the versions, it could have served as a surprise for the "Renaissance" egg, inside which it fits perfectly (without a leg added later).
Vekselberg collection
Faberge Egg "Spring Flowers"
The similarity of the bouquet with the flowers from the "Winter" egg raises a question.
The original owner is unknown, but most likely from the Imperial Series.
Vekselberg collection
The events of 1917 put an end to the Faberge case. The jeweler himself emigrated to Germany, from where he then moved to Switzerland. With his departure, the company, over which the Bolsheviks intended to take control, ceased to exist. Carl Faberge did not survive much of his brainchild - he died in Switzerland in September 1920.
Faberge egg "Swan"
It opens not exactly, but as if along the cleavage line. The surprise is a swan.
The first owner is Maria Fedorovna.
Edward and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Lausanne, Switzerland 1906. By Faberge
And in Petrograd, in the workshops where quite recently magicians created pearls of applied art for a crowned family, the Union of Jewelers settled, later called the Leningrad Jewelry Association.
Faberge egg "Kremlin" 1906
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
The largest of the eggs. The Cathedral of the Assumption is depicted.
The interior of the temple is visible through the windows. Clockwork clock. Armouries
... Meanwhile, in the young Soviet state, painstaking work was going on to confiscate everything that had at least something to do with the royal family. All found "wealth", after being evaluated, were immediately nationalized. Most of the Faberge Easter eggs brought from the palaces of St. Petersburg were kept in the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin until 1922, and then transferred to the Gokhran for sale in the antique markets of the West.
Faberge egg "Cradle with garlands"
First owner - Maria Fedorovna
Also called "Trophies of Love". The surprise is lost. Louis XVI style.
Private collection of Robert M. Lee, USA 1907. By Faberge
One of the first buyers of the valuables for sale, including the collection of Easter eggs, was the American businessman Armand Hammer. He clearly knew what he was doing: on his return to the United States, he was able to profitably sell the relics to his compatriot collectors. The example of the enterprising American was followed by the Englishman Emanuel Snowman from the Wartski company. Having purchased 9 Faberge Easter eggs in Russia, he then safely resold them in London. Naturally, the outflow of "tsarist wealth" from a country that had crushed the monarchy and needed considerable funds to build a new society, free from previous remnants, was only welcomed by its leaders.
Faberge Egg "Pink Lattice"
The surprise was lost, presumably a medallion with a portrait of Tsarevich Alexei.
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
Artist. Walters Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland, USA 1907. Written by Faberge
In 1927, the director of the Armory, Dmitry Dmitrievich Ivanov - now undeservedly forgotten, although he has done invaluable work to preserve many domestic works of art - appealed to the Soviet government with a request to transfer the remaining Faberge masterpieces in the country for safekeeping to the State Treasury. His efforts were crowned with success - 24 Easter eggs were sent to the Armory, but, alas, not for long ...
Faberge egg "Peacock"
The peacock can be removed from the branches. Jeweler - Dorofeev. Inspired by the famous peacock clock in the Hermitage.
First owner - Maria Fedorovna
Edward and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Lausanne, Switzerland 1908. By Faberge
A couple of years later, a special commission for the confiscation and sale of works of art was formed in the USSR - the government urgently needed funds "for the needs of industrialization." Imperial Easter eggs were also included in the list of antiques to be sold. More than half of them, namely 14, were eventually sold at unacceptably low prices. Unable to bear this blow, Dmitry Dmitrievich committed suicide in 1929 ... The remaining 10 eggs, at the cost of considerable effort, were saved from sale and left in the collection of the Armory. These saved relics, in fact, were destined to make up the largest collection of all the imperial Faberge Easter eggs scattered around the world.
Faberge egg "Alexander Palace"
Made from jade. Jeweler Heinrich Wigstrom.
Surprise - a model of the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo.
Miniatures - five portraits of daughters.
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
Armouries. 1908. Written by Faberge
Faberge egg "Commemorative Alexander III"
Surprise - a miniature bust.
First owner - Maria Fedorovna
Whereabouts unknown (lost) 1909 by Faberge
Faberge egg "Yacht Standart"
Image of the yacht of Emperor Alexander III
First owner - Alexandra Fedorovna
Armory 1909. Written by Faberge
Faberge egg "Equestrian monument to Alexander III" 1910
Inside a model of the monument to the emperor by Paolo Trubetskoy
First owner - Maria Fedorovna
Armouries. Faberge author
Good evening, dear readers of the Sprint-Answer website. Today on the air of the First Channel there is a TV game called "Who want to be a millionaire?" for October 7, 2017... An overview of the game, as well as all the questions and answers in the game "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" for 07.10.2107 can be viewed by following the link above.
And in this article we will take a closer look at the thirteenth question for the players of the first part of today's TV game. The players refused to answer this question and decided to collect the money.
What was inside the first Easter egg made by Carl Faberge?
The correct answer to the question about the first Easter egg made by the famous Carl Faberge is highlighted in blue and bold. In the meantime, some information from Wikipedia.
Fabergé eggs are a series of jewelery by Carl Faberge. The series was created between 1885 and 1917. for the Russian imperial family and private buyers. In total, seventy-one copies are known to have been created, of which fifty-four are imperial.
Carl Faberge and his firm's jewelers created the first egg in 1885. It was ordered by Emperor Alexander III as an Easter surprise for his wife Maria Feodorovna. The so-called "Hen" is covered with white enamel on the outside, imitating a shell, and inside, in the "yolk" of matte gold, is a chicken made of colored gold. Inside the chicken, in turn, are hidden a small copy of the imperial crown made of gold with diamonds and a chain with a ruby pendant.
- ring with emerald
- portrait of the empress
- wheat grain
- golden chicken
The correct answer to the TV game question is: the golden chicken.
Easter, Great Day is the most significant and important holiday in the calendar of the Eastern and Western Slavs, while among the Southern Slavs this is the spring St. George's Day. Traditionally Easter celebrated for three days; however, Easter motives are widely represented in the mythology and rituals of the entire Light, the Passionate preceding her (when preparations were made for the holiday) and the Radonitskaya weeks following her.
Even today, Faberge is perhaps one of the most famous jewelry brands. And all thanks to the precious eggs that were produced by this jewelry house for the Russian imperial family. Today, these works of art are a huge rarity, shrouded in secrets, and their cost reaches tens of millions of dollars. In our review, little-known facts about the world's most famous eggs.
1. The first egg was made in 1885 by order of Alexander III
The tradition of painting Easter eggs has existed in Russia since ancient times. The imperial family also followed it. But in 1885, Tsar Alexander III, without suspecting it himself, somewhat transformed this tradition. Deciding to surprise his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, he gave her a special gift - an egg with a secret.
It was a precious egg, covered with white enamel, across which there was a golden stripe. It opened, and inside was a golden "yolk". In it, in turn, sat a golden chicken, inside which was a ruby crown and a pendant. The Empress was delighted with such a gift.
2. The first egg had a prototype
In fact, Faberge did not invent this Easter matryoshka himself. According to the idea of Alexander III, the Easter egg with a secret was to become a free interpretation of an egg made at the beginning of the 18th century, 3 of which are known today.
They are located: in the Rosenborg castle (Copenhagen); in the Museum of Art History (Vienna) and in a private collection (previously - in the art gallery "Green Vault", Dresden). In all the aforementioned specimens of eggs, a chicken is hidden, opening which, you can find a crown, and in it - a ring. It is believed that the emperor wanted to please his spouse with a surprise that would remind her of a well-known product from the Danish royal treasury.
3. All Faberge eggs have a surprise
The Empress was so fascinated by the gift that Faberge, who made the egg, instantly turned into a court jeweler and received a life order. He had to make an egg every year. There was only one condition - the egg must contain some kind of surprise. The fact that it should be done in a single copy was not even discussed.
Since then, Alexander III presented his wife with a new precious egg for every Easter. This tradition was continued by the son of Alexander III, Nicholas II, who gave precious eggs to his mother and wife on Easter holidays.
Each Faberge egg contained a tiny miracle: a miniature replica of the royal crown, a ruby pendant, a mechanical swan, an elephant, a gold mini replica of a palace, 11 tiny portraits on an easel, a model ship, an exact working replica of a royal carriage, etc.
4. The Bolsheviks underestimated Faberge eggs and thus saved them
After the October coup, the Bolsheviks, trying to replenish the treasury of "the world's first communist state", sold Russian art treasures. They plundered churches, sold canvases by old masters from the Hermitage Museum and took on crowns, diadems, necklaces and Faberge eggs that belonged to the Emperor's family.
In 1925, the catalog of the values of the imperial court (crowns, wedding crowns, scepter, orb, diadems, necklaces and other jewelry, including the famous Faberge eggs) was sent to all foreign representatives in the USSR. Part of the Diamond Fund was sold to the English antiquarian Norman Weiss.
In 1928, seven Fabergé eggs of little value and 45 other items were withdrawn from the Diamond Fund.
However, it was thanks to this assessment, which was unflattering for the creator of jewelry masterpieces, that Faberge eggs were saved from being melted down.
Thus, one of the most incredible works of Faberge, the Peacock egg, has been preserved. Inside the masterpiece of crystal and gold was an enameled peacock. Moreover, this bird was mechanical - when it was removed from the golden branch, the peacock raised its tail like a real bird and could even walk.
5. The fate of several eggs is unknown
In total, Faberge made 52 eggs for the Russian imperial court, 19 others were made by orders of private individuals. After the 1917 revolution, many were lost. 62 eggs have survived to this day, 10 of which are in the Kremlin's collection, some belong to the Fabergé jewelry house, and the rest are in museums and private collections.The discovery of several imperial eggs is not known for certain. For example, the fate of the travel bag, created in the Faberge workshop in 1889, is covered with mystery.
This egg was last seen in a London store in 1949. According to rumors, it was sold to an unknown person for $ 1250.
6. One of the imperial eggs was bought by a buyer of scrap precious metals for 8000 pounds
One of the lost imperial Easter eggs was found in a completely surprising way. This egg, which belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna, and then disappeared without a trace for more than 90 years, was purchased at a flea market in the United States by a buyer of precious scrap.
This Faberge product was last seen in 1922 in Moscow. The egg, made of gold and decorated with diamonds and sapphires, 8.2 cm high, was confiscated by the Bolsheviks. His further fate remained unknown for a long time, until in 1964 a unique piece of jewelry art went under the hammer at a New York auction called "golden watch in the shape of an egg" - for $ 2,450.
An American who bought a golden egg for 8 thousand pounds ($ 14,000) could not know its true value. For several years he tried to sell the egg, keeping it in his kitchen. Tired of unsuccessful attempts, he tried to find out something about the manufacturer and typed in a search engine the name engraved on the built-in watch. So he came across an article by Kieran McCarthy, director of the Royal Wartski Jewelry House. He called McCarthy and then came to London with photographs of his purchase.
The expert immediately recognized on them one of the eggs created by a famous jeweler for members of the Russian imperial family.
"Probably, Indiana Jones experienced similar feelings when he found the lost ark," - this is how the head of the jewelry house described his emotions to journalists.
7. Queen Elizabeth II owns three imperial Faberge eggs
The British royal family has three Imperial Faberge Easter eggs: Colonnade, Basket of Flowers and Mosaic. The flower basket is the most famous masterpiece of this trio. The miniature bunch of flowers is incredibly realistic!
The British Faberge collection is one of the largest in the world. In addition to the legendary eggs, it contains several hundred jewelry masterpieces: boxes, frames, animal figurines and personal jewelry of members of the Imperial Houses of Russia, Great Britain and Denmark. Despite the size of the British collection, this is only a small fraction of the 200,000 pieces of jewelery produced by the Fabergé Jewelry House.
Peter Karl Gustavovich Faberge. Some kind of overseas name. Was he even one of ours?
Almost. Faberge was born in St. Petersburg, but had foreign roots. His dad Gustav belonged to the family of French Protestants (Huguenots). The ancestors were forced to leave Picardy - region in northern France- in 1685 due to religious persecution. First, the Faberge family lived in Germany for a long time, and then settled in the Baltic province of Russia - the Livonian province. It was from there that Gustav Faberge moved to St. Petersburg.
And why did he not live in the Baltics?
In general, Gustav Faberge was associated with St. Petersburg from the age of 16. There he studied with jewelers Andreas Ferdinand Spiegel and Johann Wilhelm Keibel. By the way, in 1826, Keibel made the Small Imperial Crown, which Empress Alexandra Feodorovna married to her kingdom. Gustav Faberge decided to keep up with the mentors. True, he began with the opening in 1842 of a small jewelry shop and workshop of gold and diamond products n and Bolshoi Morskoy, 11. And his business went well.
So, that is, the first Faberge eggs began to be made in 1842?
No. Gustav Faberge never made the famous eggs, and he never became a jeweler of the Imperial House, like his teacher. He generally retired in 1860 and moved to Dresden. And while his 14-year-old son Karl traveled around Europe and studied jewelry, the production in St. Petersburg was managed by Hiskias Pendin - a faithful assistant to both Gustav and Karl. Faberge Jr. took over the factory in 1872 when he was 26 years old. He was subordinate to 500 jewelers who worked in numerous workshops. Very soon, the products of the House of Faberge gained wide popularity. The fame of them reached the Emperor Alexander III.
And when did the first Faberge egg appear and what did it look like?
In 1885. In fact, the idea to create a souvenir egg from precious metals did not belong to Carl Faberge himself. He was simply fulfilling the order of Emperor Alexander III, who wished to make a gift for Easter to his wife Maria Feodorovna. And the emperor himself was also not original - similar eggs were made in Europe from the beginning of the 18th century. But the Faberge jewelry house did not make a copy, but created its own version. It was an egg of gold, covered with opaque white enamel. And then - as in the tale about the death of Kashchei: inside the egg there was a yolk of matte gold, in it contained a chicken made of multicolored "mosaic gold"; in the chicken was kept a miniature imperial crown that hid the last surprise - a ruby egg-pendant with a gold chain.
Wow, this is just some kind of "kinder-surprise"!
And you thought! You will not surprise the empress with a simple egg made of precious metals! In general, a total of 30 eggs were donated to Maria Fedorovna. The surprises in them were the most original. For example, inside the egg "Danish Palaces" (1890) were hidden 12 miniature paintings on mother-of-pearl depicting the palaces of Denmark and Russia, and an egg made of jade and gold "Memory of Azov" (1891) hid a model of the frigate of the same name, on which Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich and his brother Georgy Alexandrovich sailed to the Far East in 1890-1891.
And how many eggs were made for the royal family?
Opinions are divided on the point. There are 71 eggs in total. It is generally accepted that 52 of them were made for the royal family, although there are two more eggs, supposedly intended for one of the imperial persons. Since 1895, two eggs were made for Easter: for Maria Fyodorovna and the wife of Nicholas II, Alexandra Fyodorovna. In 1897, the most famous egg appeared - "Coronation", dedicated to celebrations on the occasion of the wedding to the kingdom of Nicholas II and his wife. The surprise was a copy of the gilded carriage of Catherine II, used in the coronation ceremonies. The miniature of the carriage repeated all the details of the original. Both doors open, steps are thrown out from the inside on both sides. The blinds are engraved on the rhinestone windows. This carriage was made for 15 months 16 hours a day by 24-year-old master Georg Stein.
Stop. That is, Faberge eggs and surprises for them were not made by Faberge himself?
Of course! Carl Faberge did not create a single egg with his own hands. Everything was done by the workers of his workshops. On the eve of 1914, almost 600 jewelers were working there. The most famous of them is Mikhail Perkhin. He was the chief foreman of the company for 18 years and ran his own workshop, where 28 eggs were created. For the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, they made an egg "Peter I", on the sides of which there were four m iniatures with views of the city. The Bronze Horseman model was a surprise. In 1900, Perkhin made an egg from silver "Trans-Siberian Railway".A map of the Russian Empire with a highway was minted on the egg itself, and inside was a miniature copy of the train.made of gold and platinum. By the way, the train was mechanical, and a golden winding key was attached to it. In 1903, Perkhin died, and with replaced by Henrik Immanuel Wigström.
Foreigner again?
Yes. Wigstrom was born and studied jewelry in Finland, but at the age of 16 he came to work in St. Petersburg. At first he was an apprentice in the Faberge firm, and from 1906 he was responsible for all major orders. In 1915, for Maria Feodorovna and Alexandra Feodorovna, he made eggs "Red Cross with Portraits" and "Red Cross Triptych". Inside the first were portraits two daughters, sister, wife and cousin of Nicholas II in the uniform of nurses. They were all sisters of mercy during the First World War.
Wait, did the expensive eggs continue to be made even during the war?
No one thought to give up the tradition. True, by Easter 1916, everything is the same Wigstrom made an egg that was very different from luxury products previously released. It is manufacturedmade of artillery steel and has a stand in the form ofartillery shells... But this egg, of course, still contains elements made of precious metals. As a surprise,a miniature easel with a painting by the court artist Vasily Zuev, who depicted the scene of the visit of the headquarters of the General Staff by the Emperor and Tsarevich Alexei. Generally, duringDuring the war, the Faberge factory made many items that were intended to be sent to the front: mugs, plates, tobacco holders and even grenades.
Did his factory produce anything other than eggs before the war?
In fact, the range of products produced was huge! In the entire history of the House of Fabergé, more than 150 thousand pieces of jewelry were made. And most of them are utilitarian: photo frames, cigarette cases, cane knobs, pencil cases, watches, perfume bottles, candy boxes called bonbonnieres.
And where does the story of the House of Faberge end?
The Fabergé factory faced a rather typical ending for private production of that time. The well-being of the jewelry house was already shaken during the war, but the October Revolution of 1917 finally finished it off. In 1918, all branches of the company were closed, although the store in Moscow continued to operate until February 1919. Carl Faberge himself was able to escape to Switzerland, but he did not have long to live. A jeweler and entrepreneur, depressed due to the inability to do what he loved, died on September 24, 1920. Four sons of Carl Faberge, and then his grandchildren, set up a small production abroad.
And what happened to the collection of eggs made for the royal family?
The Bolsheviks actively traded in the products of the Faberge factory. Most of them were sold overseas. A significant part of the collection ended up in the United States and Great Britain. Easter eggs are no exception. Now five of them are in the Virginia Museum of Art, three in the New Orleans Museum of Art, four in f onde Edouard and Maurice Sandoz in Switzerland, four more are in the collection of Queen Elizabeth II. And 14 are kept in private collections.
Is there anything left in Russia?
Several eggs, including the Trans-Siberian Railway, have not been exported from the country. It is now in the Kremlin Armory. In total, 10 eggs are stored there. One egg each is in the collection of the Hermitage and the Fersman Mineralogical Museum in Moscow. But most of all eggs in the exposition of the Faberge Museum- 15, including "Hen" and "Coronation". By the way, it is there that the egg "Order of St. George" is kept, made for Maria Feodorovna for Easter 1916. It was the last egg she was given. And the only one that she was able to take abroad in 1919. The product was passed down from generation to generation, and then it ended up in the Forbes collection. In 2004, the entire collection was put up for auction, where it was acquired by Viktor Vekselberg for the Faberge Museum.
Eggs are one of the most ancient types of human food.
They are included in sacred symbolism, myths, tales and sayings of most peoples of the world and in many cultures are a symbol of life.
This is a valuable food product containing almost all, except for vitamin C, essential substances for a person: vitamins A, D, E, H, K, PP and group B, phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, fluorine, manganese, iodine.
At the same time, it is also a low-calorie food: there are about 75 calories in one average copy. They ideally combine proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, while one piece can contain up to 14% of the daily protein intake.
Eggs are the only type of food that is assimilated by 97%, which is why (and also due to the richest composition) yolk is one of the first to be introduced into the composition of baby food.
How to know if an egg is fresh and why an egg floats in water; whether the chicken is breathing in the egg; what is the danger of raw eggs; at what temperature does Salmonella die; how to properly cook and store chicken eggs; is it possible to store eggs in the freezer; why there are two yolks in an egg, as well as other interesting facts about eggs.
1. What does a chicken egg consist of?
The formed egg consists of white, yolk, shell and shells. In a chicken egg, 10-12% of the mass is shell, 56-61% - protein and 27-32% - yolk. In the liquid content of eggs without shells, protein accounts for about 64%, and yolk - 36%.
2. What are eggshells made of?
According to studies by Hungarian doctors, it has been proven that the shell of eggs is 90% calcium carbonate (calcium carbonate). In addition, the shell also contains magnesium (0.55%), phosphorus (0.25%), silicon (0.12%), potassium (0.08%), sodium (0.03%), copper, iron, sulfur, fluorine, aluminum, manganese, zinc, molybdenum and many other elements (27 in total). Interestingly, the composition of eggshells is very similar to the composition of human bones and teeth.
Outside, the shell is covered with a layer of dried mucus - the shell membrane, which protects against moisture evaporation from the egg and the penetration of microorganisms. Inside there is a shell membrane that does not allow protein to pass through, delays the penetration of bacteria, but allows air, moisture and ultraviolet rays to pass through. And it is followed by an elastic protein film.
3. How does a chick breathe in an egg through the shell?
The egg breathes thanks to the pores in the shell. At first glance, the shell seems to be dense, but in fact it has a porous structure that is permeable to gases. If you look at the surface of the shell with a magnifying glass, you can see many small pores through which air flows for the chick. Oxygen enters the egg through the pores, and carbon dioxide and moisture are removed. The shell of a chicken egg has about 7,500 pores! At the blunt end of the egg, there are more pores and fewer at the sharp end.
4. What is the thickness of the chicken egg shell?
The thickness of the shell of chicken eggs ranges from 0.3 to 0.4 mm, and it is not the same over the entire surface of the egg. At the sharp end of the egg, the shell is slightly thicker than at the blunt end. It is worth noting that the eggs of the same bird can have different shell thicknesses. The shell is thicker at the beginning of lay, usually in winter, and thinner from March to September. One of the reasons for the decrease in shell strength is the depletion of calcium reserves in the bird's body by the end of the laying season.
5. What determines the color of the eggshell?
The color of the eggshell depends on the breed of the laying hen. Interestingly, in most cases, chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs, and chickens with red ears lay brown eggs.
6. Which eggs are better - white or brown?
This question interests many housewives. In fact, there is no difference between brown and white eggs. The shell color of chicken eggs does not affect the nutritional value of the egg, its taste and quality. It also has nothing to do with the freshness of the eggs. However, it should be noted that brown eggs have thicker shells, but they are more likely to show blood stains. Due to their stronger shell, brown eggs last a little longer and are easier to transport without damage. Therefore, they are appreciated by poultry farmers.
7. How to distinguish fresh from stale eggs?
You need to put the egg in the water. If it is fresh, it will lie flat on the bottom of the dish. If the egg is more than one week old, then its blunt end will pop up. An egg hanging vertically in water is 2-3 weeks old, and an egg that has emerged is 6-7 weeks old.
8. Why do stale eggs float?
The buoyancy of an egg depends on its freshness. The fact is that at the blunt end of the egg, an air chamber (puga) is gradually formed between the sub-membrane and albuminous membranes. During storage, moisture evaporates from the egg through the pores, increasing the air space. Therefore, the longer the egg is stored, the more the size of the air chamber increases. That is why when buying eggs you should choose eggs with a matte surface, and not with a shiny one - this indicates the degree of their freshness. If the eggs are large but light, then they have a large air chamber and are approaching the end of their shelf life. You can shake the egg to determine the freshness of an egg in a store. If the contents dangle from side to side, such an egg is already spoiled and cannot be bought.
9. Why is it sometimes difficult to peel eggs?
It turns out that this depends on the freshness of the eggs. The contents of recently laid eggs adhere more tightly to the shell film, making fresh eggs harder to clean. And if they lie in the refrigerator for a week or two, then after boiling they can be cleaned easier and faster.
10. Why do hard-boiled eggs sometimes have a gray-green yolk?
This happens if, as a rule, a not very fresh egg is boiled for too long or if it is not cooled in time after boiling. In overcooked eggs, the yolk shell becomes greenish. This is due to the reaction of iron and sulfur, which are contained in eggs. When eggs are heated, sulfur from the protein comes into contact with iron from the yolk and iron sulfide is formed at the junction between them, due to which a gray-green color appears around the yolk. The older the eggs are, the faster this happens. Long boiling times and high temperatures will also speed up this reaction.
11. Can you eat eggs with green yolks?
Yes, these eggs are quite edible. The greenish color on the yolk shell does not affect the taste of the egg and does not mean that it is spoiled. Overcooked eggs, however, have a deterioration in protein quality, so do not boil them for more than 10 minutes. To avoid turning the yolk green, use fresher eggs and refrigerate immediately after boiling.
12. Why are there blood stains in chicken eggs?
Sometimes small specks of blood can be seen in the eggs. They appear when the blood vessels of the laying hen burst and blood gets onto the yolk during separation from the ovary. Blood stains are more common in brown eggs. These blood inclusions should not be confused with the fetus. It happens that eggs have a blood ring on the yolk. This means that the embryo began to develop in the egg and the circulatory system of the chicken was formed (if the egg was stored at a high temperature), but the embryo died at an early stage of development.
13. Is it okay to eat eggs with blood stains?
Yes, these eggs are quite suitable for consumption. The droplets of blood in the egg do not pose a health hazard and do not affect the taste in any way. But the red spots on the surface of the yolk look unappetizing, so it is better to remove them with the tip of a knife before cooking. However, eggs with a blood ring, in which the embryo has already begun to form, cannot be consumed in any form.
14. Which country eats the most eggs?
Mexico ranks first in the world in terms of egg consumption per capita. According to Mexican experts, each inhabitant of the country eats 21.9 kg of eggs per year, which is an average of one and a half eggs per day. Mexicans eat more eggs every day than any other country. Previously, Japan was considered the world leader in egg consumption per capita. Every inhabitant of this country eats 320 eggs annually, that is, approximately one egg a day.
15. Why is the yolk kept in one position in the middle of the egg?
The white of a chicken egg consists of three layers: the outer and inner layers are liquid, and the middle layer is denser. The white around the yolk is denser than under the shell. In this layer, which is located around the yolk, elastic twisted cords are formed on both sides of the yolk between the blunt and sharp ends of the egg. It is these protein cords, the so-called grains or chalases (Chalazae), that hold the yolk in the center of the egg, but do not prevent it from turning around its axis. Chalases are formed from dense protein and can be seen on an egg poured into a saucer. Their ends float freely in the egg white - the curl on the blunt side of the egg floats in the surrounding layer of thinner protein, and the curl on the sharp side of the egg penetrates from the denser middle layer of the egg white.
16. Why is protein sometimes opaque?
The cloudy white color of the protein is due to the presence of a large amount of carbon dioxide CO2 in the egg. Cloudy white is a sign of egg freshness, as carbon dioxide has not yet escaped from it. In old eggs, this element evaporates through the pores of the shell.
17. What are the yellow and greenish crystals in the egg yolk?
This is riboflavin (lactoflavin or vitamin B2) - one of the most important vitamins. Riboflavin is a yellow crystal, poorly soluble in water. Egg yolk is one of the food sources of riboflavin. 100 grams of eggs contain 0.3-0.8 mg of riboflavin (vitamin B2).
18. Can I eat raw eggs?
No, raw eggs should not be eaten, much less given to children. They can contain the causative agents of many diseases, for example, the bacteria salmonella, which cause food poisoning in humans, and sometimes severe forms of salmonellosis with complications. Raw or undercooked eggs, and meals with them (homemade mayonnaise, pudding, some sauces and creams, egg shakes) are potential sources of infection. Eating soft-boiled eggs or insufficiently fried fried eggs with liquid yolk can lead to unpleasant consequences. But hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, or well-fried scrambled eggs will not cause salmonellosis or food poisoning. Bacteria can be found both on the shell and inside the egg, so it's important to cook it properly. Heat treatment kills germs. It should be noted that every year in large countries, more than 400,000 people become victims of egg poisoning, of which about 200 cases are fatal. In addition, raw eggs do not benefit the body, since they are much less digestible than boiled ones.
The egg is a sterile product until it is laid. And yet, just a few seconds after demolition, having such an impressive shell protection, its contents are affected by environmental microorganisms.
What's going on with him?
To begin with, we note that when laid, the egg has a body temperature of the laying hen - 41-42 ° C. Once in the external environment, it cools down to the ambient temperature within two hours, while reducing in volume. Through numerous tiny pores, of which there are more at the blunt end of the egg, due to the difference in osmotic pressure, air is drawn into the egg. Together with the contents, the albuminous membrane also shrinks, due to which a stratification is formed between the latter and the shell membranes and an air chamber is created - a puga.
Together with air, household and pathogenic (pathogenic) microflora penetrates into the egg. Here she finds a fertile environment for her development and dissemination.
So the cleanliness of raw eggs is directly related to cleanliness and adequate air exchange in the house and nests.
20. What are the signs of food poisoning?
The main symptoms of foodborne toxicity are abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, unpleasant taste in the mouth, headache and dizziness, often fever, severe weakness, and in severe cases, loss of consciousness. In case of acute poisoning, after 1-2 hours the temperature rises, severe vomiting and loose stools, dizziness and weakness appear, the pulse becomes very rapid, the skin of the face turns white, the color of the lips changes, and with botulism, suffocation and respiratory arrest may occur. Therefore, when such symptoms appear, you must immediately call an ambulance.
21. How to avoid food poisoning when eating eggs?
When buying eggs, check the expiration date. It is better to buy eggs in the store - there is usually a date stamped on the shell. Make sure the eggs are not cracked or broken - they are best avoided. If the egg turns out to be stale or has an unpleasant odor, it must be discarded immediately and under no circumstances should it be consumed or given to animals, otherwise you can get severe poisoning. Fresher eggs are less likely to breed Salmonella. A natural defense mechanism inhibits their growth in eggs for 20 days. It is better not to take risks and not drink raw eggs, do not cook soft-boiled eggs or fried eggs. Recipes using raw eggs should be avoided.
Bacteria can be found both inside the eggs and on the shell, therefore, before cooking, the eggs must be thoroughly washed with hot water (temperature 80 ° C) for at least 7 seconds. The fact is that Salmonella bacteria can enter the egg from the surface of the eggshell when it breaks. In addition, bacteria very easily spread to hands, dishes, tables, other foods and objects, so be sure to wash your hands before and after touching the eggs, and after cooking, wash everything that touches the eggs. Be sure to wash your hands after breaking a raw egg for cooking. When cooking, never place raw food and then cooked food on the same plate. Even properly prepared food can be contaminated with bacteria if drops or small particles of raw food accidentally enter it. Make sure the scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs are well done and do not remain soggy. Boil well or fry semi-finished products (dumplings, cutlets and others). Cooking food until cooked is the only way to kill potentially harmful bacteria and avoid severe food poisoning.
22. What is the most famous bacteria in eggs?
It is salmonella that lives in poultry eggs, meat, milk and dairy products. Salmonellosis (or paratyphoid fever) is an acute intestinal disease caused by various types of Salmonella, a very common form of food poisoning. The main route of salmonella infection is through food. These bacteria multiply rapidly in food (especially when warm), but do not change their taste or appearance. Salmonella accumulate in animal products, tolerate drying, freezing well, and survive in water for up to 2 months. They are resistant to smoking, salting, marinades, but quickly deteriorate when boiled. The incubation period lasts from 2-6 hours to 2-3 days. Salmonellosis is characterized by damage to the gastrointestinal tract and the development of intoxication and is accompanied by diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, headache, malaise, and fever. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor. Salmonella enteritidis is the most common bacterium in many countries.
23. How many minutes do you need to cook the eggs?
Salmonella is very resistant and die only after prolonged heat treatment. They reproduce at temperatures from +7 to + 45 ° С, and the best temperature for them is + 35-37 ° С. At temperatures below + 5 ° C, the growth of Salmonella stops. At + 70-75 ° C, salmonella die within 5-10 minutes, and instantly when boiled. Therefore, only hard-boiled eggs can be completely safe. Eggs should be boiled for 8-10 minutes from the moment the water boils, and fried eggs or omelette until dry.
24. At what temperature do egg white and yolk harden?
The protein thickens at a temperature of + 60 ° C and hardens at + 65 ° C. The yolk begins to thicken at + 65 ° C and becomes hard at + 73 ° C.
25. At what temperature should you cook and store dishes containing eggs?
When cooking, dishes containing eggs must be heated to a temperature of at least + 70 ° C in order to kill bacteria. It is also necessary to reheat food that has been stored for some time to a temperature not lower than + 70 ° C. Food should be stored at temperatures above + 60 ° C or below + 10 ° C. Cooked food should not be stored at room temperature. At + 20-40 ° С every 20 minutes the number of bacteria doubles and the risk of poisoning increases. A favorable environment for the reproduction of microbes is warm and humid. And the cold stops their growth. Therefore, after eating, the remaining food should be immediately put into the refrigerator.
26. How to store chicken eggs correctly?
Eggs should be placed in the refrigerator immediately after purchasing. It is recommended to store eggs in the coldest place of the refrigerator (closer to the back wall) separately from other products and in special packaging. Although most refrigerators have a dedicated egg compartment on the door, it is wrong to store eggs in the refrigerator door. This is the warmest place, and the refrigerator is often opened and the eggs are exposed to frequent temperature fluctuations.
27. Why is it better to store eggs in a package?
Eggshells have thousands of pores through which odors and bacteria can penetrate. Therefore, eggs should be kept in special trays and away from foods with a strong smell, so they stay fresh longer. In addition, storage in egg trays will prevent the spread of bacteria from eggs to neighboring foods.
28. What is the best way to store eggs - sharp or blunt end down?
Eggs are best placed with the pointed end down so that the yolks are centered. In this position, the eggs will be able to "breathe" and maintain their freshness longer, since there are more pores at the blunt end through which oxygen enters the egg and carbon dioxide escapes. In addition, there is an air space at the blunt end of the egg, which can contain bacteria, and when turned over to the blunt end, they float up and enter the egg.
29. Can eggs be stored in the freezer?
No, you shouldn't store eggs in the freezer - they will freeze there. The ideal temperature for storing eggs is + 4 ° C.
30. How long do eggs keep in the refrigerator?
Fresh eggs are stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 weeks from the date of production. It is not recommended to store eggs for more than 6 weeks, even in the refrigerator. Eggs are stored for a rather long time due to the fact that there is a protective film on their surface. Therefore, it is advisable to wash them immediately before cooking.
31. How long can boiled eggs be stored?
In-shell hard-boiled eggs can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, but it is best to eat them within 3 days. Boiling destroys the protective film on the shell, which helps the egg to keep longer. Dishes with eggs must be kept in the refrigerator. Egg salads are stored for 3-4 days, stuffed eggs - 2-3 days.
32. Can eggs be stored at room temperature?
You can, but better not. Eggs spoil very quickly without a refrigerator, even in one day at room temperature they lose their freshness. One day of keeping eggs at room temperature equals one week of refrigeration.
33. How much does one chicken egg weigh?
Egg weight ranges from 35 to 75 grams. The average weight of a chicken egg is 50-55 grams. This means that a dozen medium eggs can weigh 500-550 grams, and a kilogram will be about 20 eggs.
34. How much do egg white and yolk weigh separately?
The weight of the yolk is about 1/3 of the weight of the whole egg, and the weight of the protein is 2/3 of the weight of the egg. That is, on an average egg, the yolk weighs 17 grams, and the egg white weighs 34 grams. And in one kilogram there will be 59 yolks or 30 whites.
35. What determines the color of the yolk?
The color of the egg yolk - light yellow or bright orange - depends on the diet of the chicken. The carotenoids in chicken feed give the yolk a yellow color. Carotenoids are naturally occurring natural pigments of yellow, orange or red color. They give color to many plants, including vegetables and fruits. The more the chicken eats feed containing carotenoids (corn, alfalfa, grass meal), the brighter the yolk color is. However, not all carotenoids give the yolk color. For example, canthaxanthin and lutein impart a golden yellow color to the yolk, while beta-carotene does not affect color. It should be noted that the color of the yolk does not affect the quality, nutritional value and taste of the egg.
36. What does the marking on the eggs mean?
Every egg produced in a poultry farm and sold in a store must be labeled. Eggs are divided into dietary and table eggs. Eggs are considered dietary for the first 7 days after they are laid. Therefore, it is important to look at the date of manufacture. These eggs are suitable for dietary and baby food. Diet eggs after 7 days of storage are considered table eggs.
The first mark of the marking indicates the permissible shelf life:
- The letter "D" means a dietary egg, which is realized within 7 days.
- The letter "C" means a table egg, such eggs are sold within 25 days.
These periods are valid provided that the eggs are stored at temperatures between 0 ° C and + 20 ° C.
The second character in the marking indicates the category of the egg, depending on its weight:
- "B" the highest category - 75 grams or more.
- "O" selected egg - from 65 to 74.9 grams.
- "1" first category - from 55 to 64.9 grams.
- "2" second category - from 45 to 54.9 grams.
- "3" third category - from 35 to 44.9 grams.
If eggs are sold without any designation at all, you should not risk your health and buy them. Eggs of different categories differ only in weight, and their shell color may be different. In addition, some eggs come with two yolks.
37. What determines the size of a chicken egg?
The weight and size of the eggs depend on various factors. The main one is the age of the laying hen. Young chickens are more likely to lay small eggs, while older chickens lay larger eggs. At first, the weight of eggs can be 40-50 grams, and by the age of the chicken it increases to 57-65 grams. Egg size also depends on the breed and weight of the laying hen. Underweight chickens lay small eggs. Housing conditions, bird feeding, climate, season of the year and time of day for laying also affect egg size. For example, in warm weather, chickens eat less, which often leads to a decrease in egg size. Although sometimes young hens also lay large eggs or even eggs with two yolks. And it happens that more yolks are found in the egg!
38. Why do hens lay two-yolk eggs?
According to experts, eggs with two yolks are an anomaly. Two-yolk eggs are produced when two cells mature at the same time and pass through the hen's reproductive system together. Usually such eggs are laid either by young laying hens, which have not yet established reproductive cycles, or by mature birds (about one year old). The largest number of two-yolk eggs is laid by hens in the first weeks of laying. The ability of hens to lay two-yolk eggs can be inherited. However, sometimes eggs with two yolks can be a sign of bird illness. If hens have problems with ovulation, inflammation of the oviduct, then they can lay eggs with two yolks, no yolk, too small or with different defects. Diseases of the oviduct in chickens can occur due to a violation of the conditions of feeding and keeping hens, dampness and dirt in the room.
Eggs with two yolks are quite rare in nature and are not viable. They never hatch chickens. Previously, these eggs were considered non-standard and processed into egg powder. But then they began to be in demand among buyers, because they taste no different from ordinary ones, and weigh more - 70-80 grams (while selected eggs weigh 65-75 grams). Therefore, now in poultry farms, chickens are specially raised that lay eggs with two yolks. Eggs with two yolks are completely harmless and suitable for consumption.
39. How many eggs does a hen lay per year?
In one year, a laying hen lays about 220-250 eggs, and some hens lay up to 300 eggs or even more. It takes a hen approximately 24-26 hours to lay an egg. Half an hour after the hen has laid an egg, a new egg begins to form in her body. It has been noticed that white chickens lay an average of 45 eggs per year than red or dark ones.
40. What determines the egg production of chickens?
The number of eggs obtained from a chicken for a certain period of time, that is, egg production, depends on the breed of the chicken, its age, keeping conditions, nutrition, health of the bird, and also on hereditary properties and individual characteristics. For example, chickens of egg breeds lay 10-12% more eggs than meat and egg chickens and almost twice as many as chickens of meat breeds. Chickens of egg breeds begin to lay their first eggs at the age of 5-6 months. Chickens are capable of laying eggs for about 10 years. But increased egg production is observed in the first year of laying, during which hens can lay 250-300 eggs. As the bird ages, egg production decreases by 10-15% per year compared to the first year of laying. Therefore, it is economically profitable to use chickens on industrial farms only during the first year of laying, and in breeding farms - 2-3 years. Moreover, for the second or third year, only the best layers are left. Typically, a breeding flock consists of 55-60% young hens, 30-35% 2-year-olds and 10% 3-year-olds. Roosters are used up to 2 years, the most valuable - up to 3 years.
41. What does the egg white consist of?
An egg block consists of water (85%), proteins (12-13%), carbohydrates (0.7%), fats (0.3%), glucose, various enzymes, vitamins of group B. The protein contains half of the protein contained in the egg. It contains all the amino acids necessary for building protein in the human body, as well as lysozyme, a protein substance that kills and dissolves microorganisms, including putrefactive ones. But the protective properties of the protein decrease with long-term storage. The white is liquid near the shell and thicker around the yolk. Egg white is the most easily digestible and complete among the proteins found in food. It is considered a reference protein and other proteins are evaluated against it. Egg white contains approximately 17 calories.
42. What does the egg yolk consist of?
Egg yolk consists of water (50%), fat (over 30%), proteins (16%), carbohydrates (0.2%), cholesterol and minerals. However, eggs are not a fatty product, since the yolk contains more harmless unsaturated fat (70-75%), and saturated fat - about 28%. Egg yolk is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, D, E, PP and others, and also contains phosphorus, potassium, calcium, chlorine, sulfur, iron, manganese, iodine, copper, cobalt. In addition, egg yolk contains lecithin, which is involved in metabolism and is necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system. The yolk is covered on the outside with a thin transparent membrane and consists of alternating concentric dark and light layers. The yolk contains about 60 calories, which is three times more than the protein.
43. What is the use of chicken eggs?
Eggs contain all the nutrients required for the normal functioning of the human body. It is an indispensable food product that prepares quickly and is inexpensive. Eggs perfectly combine proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Eggs are a valuable source of protein. One egg contains 12-14% of the RDA for an adult. The average chicken egg contains about 6.5 grams of protein (protein), as well as 5.8 grams of easily digestible fats, rich in phospholipids, which are involved in the transport of fats in the body, are included in all cell membranes. Proteins and fats of chicken eggs are well absorbed by the body. Eggs are the only product that is digestible by 97-98%. In terms of nutritional value, one chicken egg is equivalent to 200 ml of milk or 50 g of meat. For young children, this is the second most important product after breast milk. Eggs are low in calories - one medium egg contains 75 calories.
Chicken eggs are rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements necessary in the daily human diet. Eggs contain vitamins A, D, E, H, K, PP and B vitamins. They only lack vitamin C. They also contain phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, fluorine, manganese, iodine. Phosphorus is a part of all body tissues, participates in metabolism, affects the activity of the heart and kidneys, and is necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system. Calcium forms the basis of bone tissue, is contained in the skeleton and teeth, and affects blood clotting. Iron is involved in the processes of hematopoiesis, it is necessary for the formation of hemoglobin, and provides the transport of oxygen in the body. Magnesium supports normal brain function, is involved in bone formation and blood sugar regulation. Potassium regulates the acid-base balance of the blood, participates in the transmission of nerve impulses, improves the functioning of the heart and kidneys.
Eggs are a valuable source of folate, biotin, and choline, which is found in egg yolks. Folic acid (vitamin B9) normalizes the circulatory system, supports the immune system. Biotin (vitamin H) is part of the enzymes that regulate protein and fat metabolism. It improves the condition of skin, hair and nails. Choline (vitamin B4) prevents the formation of fats in the liver, lowers cholesterol levels, activates the brain, and improves memory.
44. Is it harmful to eat eggs because of their cholesterol content?
It used to be recommended to limit the amount of eggs consumed due to the presence of cholesterol in them. But after a lot of research, it turned out that the main cause of high blood cholesterol levels is eating foods high in saturated fat (mainly meat and dairy products). Eggs contain relatively little saturated fat, and egg yolk contains more healthy fats that help cells function properly. Out of 5 g of fat in an egg, harmful saturated fats contributing to the production of cholesterol are only 1.5 g. And the harm from even this insignificant amount of saturated fats is compensated by nutrients that prevent the body from assimilating cholesterol and promote its elimination. Choline lowers blood cholesterol, prevents the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels. Choline is a part of the phospholipid lecithin, which is an important component of the cells of the body, helps to maintain normal cholesterol levels, prevents the development of liver cirrhosis and cardiovascular diseases, and 50% of the liver is made of lecithin. The body's daily requirement for lecithin is about 5-6 grams. Egg yolk contains about 3.5 grams of lecithin per 100 grams of product (and 100 grams of lamb, beef or peas contains only about 0.8 grams of lecithin).
45. How many eggs can you eat per day or per week?
One egg, and it is in the egg yolk, contains about 215 mg of cholesterol, and the daily intake of cholesterol is about 300 mg. Therefore, people with normal cholesterol levels can safely consume 1 egg per day. With high cholesterol levels or certain diseases (atherosclerosis, cholecystitis, liver diseases), you should limit the consumption of eggs to 3 eggs per week. When using butter, sour cream, fatty meat, sausages or nuts, it is also worth reducing the number of eggs eaten to 2-3 pieces per week. With an elevated cholesterol level, you can eat proteins, and refuse yolks, because it is they that contain cholesterol. Interestingly, it is in Japan, which is considered one of the world leaders in the consumption of chicken eggs per capita, that there is a record number of centenarians and has the lowest rate of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the previously popular prejudice about the dangers of eggs due to their cholesterol content has long outlived its usefulness.
It is interesting! Which came before: chicken or egg?
Scientists and philosophers believe that the egg was the first, theologians argue with this. Total - 2: 1 - in favor of the egg. From the point of view of scientists, the egg appeared long before the appearance of the chicken in the process of evolution, besides, everyone knows the fact that the origin of life occurs in the egg.
From Aristotle to Darwin
The first problem "egg or chicken" (or, more precisely, "egg or bird") was raised by Aristotle. He believed that the bird and the egg appeared at the same time. More than 2 thousand years ago, Aristotle reasoned as follows: the egg could not be the first to give rise to the birds, because it must itself be laid by it, and the bird cannot be the first, since it appeared from the egg itself, it means that they appeared simultaneously (??? ).
Later this problem was widely discussed by the philosophers of Ancient Greece, including Plutarch, who formulated the question in the usual version for us - "an egg or a chicken". Medieval scholastics were also actively involved in this problem, who took the teachings of Aristotle as the basis of their philosophy - and they came to much more complicated conclusions than a simple reading of the Bible, from which the primacy of the chicken seems to follow:
“And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said: Let the water bring forth reptiles, the living soul; and let the birds fly over the earth, in the firmament of heaven. And God created the great fish, and every living creature that creeps, which the water produced, after its kind, and every bird of the feathers after its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying: be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth ”(Gen. 1: 19-22).
From the point of view of Darwin's theory, the first was the egg. Since the egg is the largest cell, and the world, according to Darwin, arose from the smallest "self-living" cells.
A philosophical view of the egg
In turn, in order to get an answer, modern philosophers tried to find a logical error in the question. The first idea is that the concepts "egg" and "chicken" themselves have an indistinct volume, and in nature there may be objects about which it is impossible to say clearly whether they are included or not included in the concepts of "eggs" or "chicken".
There are different types of eggs, from eggs to eggs, which some people may refer to as an "egg", while others may not.
In the process of evolution, there were many intermediate forms of birds, about which it is impossible to say unambiguously whether it is a chicken or not. Before the chicken, there was an intermediate form of a bird that also laid eggs, and at some point this bird was called a chicken, and its eggs were called chicken.
Another approach assumes that there is a strict solution to the paradox - a clear line between "chicken" and "non-chicken". In this case, the solution to the paradox depends on the precise definition of what is a "chicken egg". If it is “the egg that the hen laid down,” then first there was the hen, and if “the egg from which the hen will hatch,” then the first was the egg.
A beautiful solution was proposed by the British philosopher Spencer in the 19th century: "The chicken is just the way one egg produces another egg," thus eliminating one of the objects of the mystery.
The modern view of biologists
Modern biologists believe that the egg as an object arose before the chicken, since egg-laying appeared much earlier than the chicken and birds in general (for example, in dinosaurs, Archeopteryx). That is, tens of millions of years ago, long before the appearance of birds, eggs already existed.
If we talk specifically about the chicken egg, then our modern knowledge of genetics comes to the rescue. It is known that in the process of life, the genetic material remains unchanged, that is, an adult bird - the ancestor of a chicken, could not mutate into a chicken after it had hatched from an egg.
This means that the mutation that led to the emergence of a new biological species could have occurred only at the stage of the embryo - inside the egg. Thus, a chicken could hatch from an egg that was laid by a non-chicken ancestor bird. Therefore, in the evolutionary sense, the egg was the first.
However, nature always turns out to be more amazing than our modern ideas about it. In 2012, the BBC reported on a curious incident in Sri Lanka, where a hen gave birth to a chicken without laying an egg. The chicken was born healthy and fully formed, but the chicken died from internal trauma during childbirth. According to veterinarians, the fertilized egg developed into a full-fledged chicken in 21 days.
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Before the egg was associated with Christian Easter, it was a symbol of many holidays among different nations. Ancient people considered it to be a symbol of the universe and the process of the earth's spring rebirth. With the advent of Christianity, eggs began to be associated not with the awakening of nature, but with the birth of man.
Christians compared this symbol to the cave in which Christ was resurrected. Saint Augustine first described the resurrection of Christ from the dead as the emergence of a chicken from an egg. This symbol was adopted in the celebration of Christian Easter. Since then, at the end of the Easter Liturgy, the believers exchange gifts in the form of eggs, and the priest blesses them.
The legend of the appearance of the Easter egg
According to tradition, Saint Mary Magdalene (who was an aristocrat, not a harlot, as later sources say) met in Rome with the emperor after the execution and Resurrection of Jesus. During the conversation, she condemned Pilate for condemning Christ and starting an argument with Caesar about his resurrection.
She took a chicken egg from the table to demonstrate her point of view on the process of raising the Son of God from the dead. Caesar was unperturbed and replied that a mortal is capable of being resurrected as well as an egg - to become red. The egg instantly turned red in the woman's hand! According to the official legend, it was after this that Christians exchange red eggs for Easter.
Other Christian traditions
Ancient Christian legends mixed traditional beliefs and tied the egg tightly to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. One of the European legends tells of how Mary Magdalene came to the tomb to see the body of Jesus. She took with her a basket of eggs, which were to serve her as a meal. When she opened the basket in the tomb, the whitest shell of eggs suddenly played with all the colors of the rainbow.
Another legend claims that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave eggs to the soldiers guarding the cross on which Christ was slowly dying. She begged the employees to have mercy and cried. Her tears fell on the treats, painting them with bright colors.
Faberge eggs or what was in the first Easter egg?
The most famous painted Easter eggs were created by the famous jeweler Peter Carl Faberge. In 1883, the Russian Tsar, Alexander, commissioned Faberge to make a special Easter gift for his wife, Empress Maria.
Taking the gift in her palms, Maria Fyodorovna unfolded the skillfully made halves of the precious egg and saw a hidden golden yolk under them. But this was not the main intrigue yet - the secret was hidden inside the yolk. It was a multicolored chicken with ruby eyes. But this is not the main surprise either. A hinge mechanism in the tail unit gave access to a miniature imperial crown set with diamonds and a chain with a ruby pendant.
The queen liked this special Faberge product so much that the king immediately ordered such gifts to be made every Easter. In subsequent years, Nicholas II, son of Alexander, continued the custom. In total, 57 eggs were created, and only the overthrow of the tsarist system could interrupt this tradition.
The story of the Easter egg began in biblical times. According to legend, Mary Magdalene presented a simple egg as a gift to the Roman emperor Tiberius. At the same time she said: "Christ is Risen!" The emperor did not believe the words about the resurrection of Christ from the dead and declared that just as an egg from white cannot turn red, so the dead do not rise. Immediately after these words of the emperor, the egg presented to him turned red. This was evidence of the true resurrection of Christ.
An egg painted in the color of life and victory, as a symbol of Easter, has become an obligatory attribute since the 12th century.
The Easter egg consecrated in the temple was credited with magical properties. According to the beliefs of our ancestors, eggs laid in the red corner of the hut protected the household from diseases, and the house itself from fires. According to another belief, it was possible to extinguish the fire by running around the conflagration three times with the words “Christ is Risen!”, Holding an egg consecrated in the church. But this person must be a true righteous person.
The lighted egg, which was exchanged on Easter day with the first person who met on the street, had a special power. It was given to the patient to eat.
In the Soviet times of my childhood, we children were not particularly told about the history of the Easter egg and the traditions associated with it. Even my grandmother, who was a believer, did not tell me. In her own way, she protected her grandchildren, because she remembered very well the Stalinist times and the repressions against believers.
But Easter was alive! Our favorite pastime for Easter and all Easter week was egg rolling. The fun was as follows: on specially made trays for this, with one end raised above the ground, we rolled down, each with its own, colored egg. And below, in front of the tray, other eggs of the participants in the action were already lying on the ground. If my egg touched a neighbor's egg, he took mine. Adults took part in this skating with pleasure.
Later, as an adult, I became interested in the history of this custom and found out that by rolling eggs, people woke the Earth from winter sleep. Once upon a time for this game they chose a place where there was a small hill for the eggs to roll. Later, for convenience, they began to make trays with sides.
The custom of exchanging eggs still exists today. And in some villages they arrange "cue balls" - beating with colored eggs.
Painted eggs were called "dyed eggs", and painted eggs - "Easter eggs". Easter history eggs says that the most common method of coloring eggs in Russia has always been the method of coloring with onion peels. The color of the eggs turns out to be different depending on the cooking time and the amount of husk. To make it more saturated, folk wisdom advises first to boil onion husks for half an hour, and then boil eggs in it. So that the shell does not burst during cooking, you can put a tablespoon of salt in the water. Ready eggs are allowed to dry and rubbed with sunflower oil for shine. Although, this final chord is not required. He's not for everybody.
To obtain a beautiful yellow color, our ancestors used a decoction of birch buds. When rice appeared in Russia, it began to be used for coloring eggs "speckled". Wet eggs were rolled in dry rice, wrapped in cloth and tied with thread. At the same time, the rice was tightly attached to the egg. They were boiled as usual in onion skins or birch buds.
The story of the Easter egg continues. Today there are special souvenir inedible Easter eggs made of different materials: wood, glass, crystal, porcelain, precious metals. There are also edible, sweet chocolate.
And yet, a truly Easter egg, in my opinion, is the same chicken egg painted in onion skins, which brings us back to the time of the origin of the tradition. Everything that stands at the origins is always closer to the truth.
"Faberge eggs" is a common noun. This symbol of luxury, once sold by the Bolsheviks for a song, is now worth fabulous money. Private collectors pay millions for the right to own the famous treasures.
Origin
We can say that Carl Faberge is a hereditary jeweler. His father opened his own firm in St. Petersburg in 1842. The family came to Russia from Estonia, and the ancestors of the famous jeweler were the French Huguenots who fled to Germany from the unfriendly policy of the Sun King (Louis XIV). The workshop of Faberge-father did not do anything outstanding: brooches and diadems, generously strewn with precious stones, were in constant demand among representatives of wealthy merchants, but that was all.
Gustav tried his best to learn and provide for his first child, so Carl Faberge studied at the most prestigious educational institutions in Europe, studied jewelry in Frankfurt, and then returned to Russia and at the age of 24 headed the family business. Some researchers claim that he was extremely gifted in jewelry, others are sure that Karl Gustavovich's outstanding talent was purely administrative. But the manager, as they would say now, he was from God.
Takeoff
When an art and industrial exhibition was taking place in Moscow in 1882, Faberge was lucky: the company's products attracted the attention of his wife. From that moment on, the fruitful cooperation of the jeweler with the monarch's family began. I must say that the emperor gave away expensive jewelry not only in kilograms - in tons. It was required to present gifts during official visits to the rulers of other countries, and skillfully made sets, boxes, jewelry and various trinkets with the Faberge brand were suitable.
Soon the company gained international recognition as well, having won the exhibition in Nuremberg (1885). The judges chose items that copy the gold jewelry of the Scythians. In the same year, the first Faberge egg was made for the Romanovs' house.
Emperor's family
The Empress favored the jeweler since 1884: she was presented with a souvenir depicting a golden basket with pearl lilies of the valley. Maria Feodorovna found the thing charming, and we can say that thanks to this, Carl Faberge opened a new direction in the company's activities. Since then, various fantasies embodied in stone, gold or bone have become his trademark.
It must be said that the famous jeweler most of all appreciated the artistic side of the issue, and not all of his products were precious. At his factories, a variety of useful little things were made, such as umbrella pens, bells, or stone seals. According to some sources, the company even made Faberge silver sets were really famous throughout Russia (and not only).
Artistic side
The jeweler introduced the fashion to use not only precious stones and metals, but also simpler materials: crystal, bone, malachite, jasper, etc. At first, the staff of the company did not have enough qualified personnel to carry out all the ideas with which Carl Faberge was overflowing. The works had to be ordered from the Ural craftsmen. But gradually many talented jewelers, engravers and artists became full-time employees of the enterprise. Among them were masters of the highest class; Faberge allowed them to put their own stamp on their works.
The employees' working day was simply slave: they had to work from seven in the morning until eleven in the evening, and on Sundays - until one in the afternoon. Surprisingly, at the same time, Carl Faberge enjoyed the favor of his subordinates: they did not leave him, did not organize competing firms, although many had such an opportunity. It must be said that the famous jeweler paid a generous salary, did not abandon old and sick workers to their fate, and did not skimp on praise.
The firm had its own recognizable style. Another feature was a variety of enamels, which delight the eye with more than 120 shades, and the technique of the so-called guilloche enamel has never been reproduced.
Imperial Collection Eggs
The most widely known and posthumous fame of Carl Faberge was due to which his company produced every year for the imperial family. The tradition was started by chance. The Tsar asked the jeweler to make a surprise gift for Her Majesty Maria Feodorovna. Faberge was given freedom of choice - this is how the first egg of the imperial collection appeared.
The first specimen was a golden egg covered with white enamel on the outside. Inside it was a yolk and a colored chicken. She, in turn, was also with a secret: inside the bird was a tiny imperial crown and a ruby egg, which was later lost.
The idea was not original: similar souvenirs are kept among the exhibits of several European museums to this day (it is possible that Carl Faberge drew inspiration there).
The Empress was delighted with the gift. From that moment on, Faberge had to present a new masterpiece to the court every year, but with two conditions. First, the secret egg could only be made for the royal family. Secondly, it had to be absolutely original.
When Nicholas II ascended the throne, the tradition continued, but now Faberge created two souvenirs: for the wife of the monarch and for the dowager empress.
Bypassing the royal ban
Many years later it became known that the jeweler nevertheless circumvented the ban of his august patron: seven eggs, very similar to the originals from the royal treasury, turned out to be the property of the wife of a certain gold miner. What was to blame - the fabulous wealth of Mrs. Kelch or her lovely eyes - is not known for certain. In addition to them, there are at least eight more Faberge eggs made by private orders. The fact that this fact is not documented serves as an excellent cover for scammers.
Carl Faberge's house spent almost a year on the production of each masterpiece. The most talented artists were involved in creating the sketches, and the appearance of the future gift was kept in the strictest confidence.
In the process of making the royal surprise, Faberge did not pursue profit: in different years, Easter eggs cost the emperor different amounts and were made from different, sometimes completely inexpensive materials. So, in 1916, the monarch received a steel egg, for which four cartridges served as a stand.
The owners of the preserved treasures
They talk about 50, 52 and even 56 copies that Faberge made for the imperial family, but some of them were lost. The Bolsheviks, having come to power, not only robbed the imperial treasury, but also sold it for next to nothing. The whereabouts of only 46 of them are now known.
In 2013, a truly royal gift to the residents of St. Petersburg was made by the Russian oligarch Maxim Vekselberg. He bought the world's largest collection of eggs from the Forbes family and opened the Faberge Museum, where 9 out of 15 copies can be seen by anyone. Another 10 masterpieces are among the exhibits, 13 are in museums of the United States of America, 2 - in Switzerland and 13 more are scattered in private collections (several belong to
Another Faberge Museum is open in Baden-Baden, where eggs made in 1917 are displayed: from (intended for the Dowager Empress) and glass and crystal (for Alexandra Feodorovna). The authenticity of the latter raises some doubts, since the same was found in the storerooms of the Mineralogical Museum in Moscow, but the owner of the masterpiece, another Russian billionaire, Alexander Ivanov, assures that he is the owner of the original.
From 1885 to 1916, the court jeweler of the royal family, Carl Faberge, presented the king with one masterpiece a year. The total number of Easter eggs created by Faberge for the imperial family is 50.
Before the revolution, Easter was a favorite holiday of the people of Russia, as it coincided with the arrival of spring, warmth and the awakening of nature. At the end of the 19th century, Easter acquired universal significance: a whole branch of applied art was formed, which was engaged in the production of Easter products. Easter eggs were produced in huge quantities, and they were made from a variety of materials - glass, porcelain, wood, various ornamental materials, stones, and flowers.
Ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya once told how on Easter she was presented with a large egg made from live lilies of the valley, and a miniature precious egg was attached to it, which could be carried as a keychain. Once she was presented with a simple straw egg, inside of which were packed wonderful things from Faberge.
Faberge Imperial Easter Eggs
Carl Faberge's jewelry Easter eggs were considered the pinnacle of the Easter applied art genre; they became a kind of symbol of the era.
Tsar Alexander III gave Faberge Easter eggs to his wife Maria Feodorovna, Tsar Nicholas II presented them as gifts to his mother and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna. It is believed that the emperors presented Easter eggs produced by Faberge to other members of the royal family. Currently, only 42 surviving Faberge masterpieces are known.
The order, according to which Faberge made eggs for the king, contained the fulfillment of three conditions: egg-shaped; a surprise containing a connection with any event of the royal family and the third condition - that the work should not have a repetition.
Thus, these Easter gifts were created decorated with royal monograms or dates, some had miniature portraits of children and the emperor himself or images of royal residences, two of them contained models of ships on which the last Russian emperor sailed.
The egg was solemnly presented to the king either by Carl Faberge himself or by his son Eugene and was invariably greeted with great delight, since everyone could see the surprise hidden in the gift.
Egg technique
The eggs made were fastened with clasps and hinges so that, if necessary, they could be easily disassembled for maintenance or repair. In turn, the use of such a technique and such a design of the product removed many restrictions in the choice of materials. Faberge combined the use of precious materials with materials that were inexpensive but easy to work with.
The "shell" of the egg was enameled using the famous Faberge technique. If the egg consisted of two drop-down halves, the design was developed so that the finish carefully masked the closing edges of both halves.
The decorative overlays attached to the surface of the Easter eggs not only defined the artistic style, but also contributed to the creation of scenes that anticipated or emphasized the significance of the surprises inside. The choice of material for the manufacture of decorative finishes depended on their purpose.
In the manufacture of Easter eggs, gilded bronze and gilded silver were used as a substitute for gold, possessing both beauty and strength. Silver was also used to make frames for miniature surprise portraits, as it had the brightest surface of all materials. For purely decorative purposes, Faberge often used colored gold. By selecting the ratio of pure gold and other pure metals, he received a set of shades of different saturation.
Many Easter eggs are adorned with a continuous decorative mesh (cagework) made from a wide variety of materials.
Most of the exterior details, from frames and scallops made of gold in various shades, to leaves and stems of flowers on the Lily of the Valley Easter egg, were attached to the shell of the egg using miniature fasteners. The clasps, soldered to the back of the parts, were inserted into holes in the shells. They were then folded along the inner surface of the shell to secure the jewelry securely. While drilling the holes in the enamel shell, the egg was immersed in water to prevent the drill from overheating and damaging the enamel shell.
Surprises in Faberge eggs
Among the “surprises” hidden in many of Faberge's Easter eggs are miniature models made of precious materials, jewelry, and images of people, events and places of importance to the imperial family. Some surprises are, in fact, separate works of art that can be seen or, in some cases, set in motion, only when removed from the egg. Other secrets can be seen through the transparent shell of the egg.
The opening parts of the egg were hinged. The upper part of the egg shell served as a lid. The side sections were flaps that opened up or down depending on the location of the hinges. The part of the outer shell of the egg hiding the surprise was usually attached to spring hinges, which were designed in such a way that when a button or pawl was pressed, it would open smoothly.
There was no object, object or plant that Fabergé masters could not reproduce as a surprise for an Easter egg. The model of the Gatchina Palace with the adjacent territories, with trees, lampposts, was made of four colors of gold. The model of the monument to Peter I, made by Falcone by order of Catherine the Great, also found its embodiment in a “surprise”. Faberge Easter Egg "Gatchina Palace" is located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, The Walters Art Museum.
The simple mechanisms used in some Easter eggs have been designed specifically for each occasion. A simple gear mechanism raised and lowered three miniature portraits of Tsar Nicholas II and his eldest daughters, Olga and Tatiana, in the Lily of the Valley Easter egg. Some eggs have built-in clocks, the mechanisms of which are wound with keys, which are usually inserted into a hole in the back of the case, but there are also mechanisms that are wound with a handle. On some Easter eggs, the clock has a horizontal band with numbers rotating against a fixed mark. Inside special eggs are hidden figures of birds that appear every hour from the top of the egg.
Perhaps the most famous “surprise” is the coronation carriage made from the Easter egg “Coronation” - a miniature model 3 and 1/6 inches (8 cm) long, made of gold and enamel - an exact copy of the carriage that was used during the coronation of Nicholas II and his wife in 1896 d. "Curtains" are engraved directly on the rhinestone windows. Decorated doorknobs, smaller than a grain of rice, pivot to open and close the doors with a latch. The body of the carriage rests on straps, which are cushioned like real leather, thus, the body sways on the chassis when the crew moves.
The most ingenious secrets are set in motion by winding mechanisms. The basis for the creation of these mechanisms was the Swiss automatic machines of the 18th century; however, the model of the train in the Easter egg "Great Siberian Way" is an exact copy of the real locomotive and the cars of the Trans-Siberian express. The current model train folds section by section into a velvet-lined case inside an egg. The map of the train route and the heraldic eagle topping the entire composition also hint at the surprise hidden inside the egg.
Made in the best traditions of Faberge, the Great Siberian Way Easter egg and its “surprise” are among those works of art that delight the eye, captivate the imagination and warm the soul.
Nine eggs returned to Russia
On February 4, 2004, Sotheby's auction house announced the private sale of the Faberge Forbes collection to the Russian industrialist Viktor Vekselberg, who returned the eggs to Russia. York - This part of the collection, which consists of nine eggs, was valued at $ 90 million with an undisclosed sum and Sotheby's auctioned the private transaction on behalf of the Forbes family.
Adapted from: Faberge Imperial Easter Eggs
Faberge Easter eggs from the collection of the Moscow Kremlin (Armory)
One of the oldest and richest museums in the Moscow Kremlin - the Armory, which has a remarkable collection of monuments
arts and crafts. The collection of the national treasury includes products by Russian jewelry firms of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Among them are the works of the famous Faberge company: watches, cigarette cases, jewelry, silverware, tea and coffee sets, crystal vase frames, miniature sculptural figures made of colored semi-precious stones.
The pride of the collection is ten imperial Easter eggs with surprises, which are the pinnacle of creative inspiration and refined skill of a whole galaxy of outstanding jewelers and artists under the leadership of Carl Faberge, who at the beginning of the 20th century in Paris was recognized as Maitre - one of the best jewelers of our time. 
Making exquisitely decorated Easter eggs was both a tradition and
ancient craft in Russia. Long before Faberge began to create jewelry eggs for the imperial family, eggs from precious metals and stones were made for the Russian tsars. But only Carl Faberge and his talented team of artists, jewelers, stone cutters, sculptors, modelers and miniaturists have managed to bring the art of making jewelry Easter eggs to an unparalleled and unsurpassed level of grace, craftsmanship and creative imagination.
In total, from 1885 to 1917, by order of the emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II, about 56 Easter masterpieces were created (the exact number is unknown). The eggs, made in the workshop of Mikhail Perkhin, which after his death was headed by Heinrich Wigstrom, were distinguished by unprecedented luxury, amazing imagination, unsurpassed perfection in working out details, a virtuoso combination of a variety of techniques. Never repeating themselves, they especially impressed with the surprises they contained - miniature copies of royal yachts and cruisers with the finest gear, palaces with flowerbeds of "fluffy" gold broken in front of them, monuments strewn with stones, flowers or buds.
Jewelry Easter eggs-souvenirs were a surprise not only for those to whom they were intended as a gift, but often for the emperor who ordered them. "Your Majesty will be enough" - this is the answer Faberge usually gave to the question about the plot of the next egg.
Egg with a model of the cruiser "Memory of Azov", 1891
On the armored ship "Memory of Azov", built at the Baltic Shipyard in the late 1880s, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich (future Emperor Nicholas II) traveled to the East in 1890-1891, during which he was attacked by a fanatic Japanese samurai in the city of Otsu and miraculously survived. The voyage ended in Vladivostok, where the Tsarevich and heir to the throne initiated the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The egg was presented by Emperor Alexander III to Empress Maria Feodorovna for Easter 1891.
Egg clock, 1899 
The hand of the clock resembles Cupid's arrow shot from a bow; she is surrounded by torches whose flames turn into lush curls of vegetation. Together with a bouquet of lilies "sprouting" through a wreath of roses of multi-colored gold, they symbolize the virtuous flame of family love. This Easter egg, made in the form of an old French clock in the style of Louis XVI, is a kind of reified declaration of love by Nicholas II to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
Egg with a model of a Siberian train, 1900 
This Easter egg is a typical example of a memorable gift created by the firm in honor of an important historical event - the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, inspired by Emperor Alexander III and continued during the reign of Nicholas II. The road connected the European and Asian parts of Russia, the largest industrial cities with the military port of Vladivostok, which gave impetus to the intensive development of the vast Siberian outskirts.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
Clover egg, 1902 
On the openwork rim of the egg - the image of the imperial crown, the date "1902" and the monogram of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna framed with clover flowers. The surprise is lost. But the museum staff managed to find a unique archival document, from which it follows that a precious four-leafed leaf with 4 miniatures was fortified inside. Probably, on the petals of the surprise were portraits of the tsar's daughters (Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia), therefore, it was a symbol of the happy marriage of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, a symbol of the union of two loving people. It was believed that finding a four-leaf clover was a great rarity and luck. The egg is made in the Art Nouveau style with its floral motives and exquisite outlines, which perfectly suits the embodiment of an intimate family theme.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1902.
Egg "Moscow Kremlin", 1904-1906 
This Easter egg was made to commemorate the stay of the tsar and the tsarina in the golden-domed capital during the celebration of Easter in 1903, which was enthusiastically received by all Russian society and, in particular, by Muscovites. Performing this work of an extraordinary concept, the masters of the Faberge firm strove to create an image of the ancient Kremlin - both majestic and fabulously elegant. Before us is a kind, virtuoso variation on the theme of Kremlin architecture.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1906.
Egg with a model of the Alexander Palace, 1908 
The Alexander Palace was the suburban residence of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, which rarely left the walls of the palace and led a rather secluded life, for which they were called "Tsarskoye Selo hermits."
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1908.
Egg with yacht model "Standart", 1909
The yacht "Standart" was the favorite yacht of Nicholas II. On it, the king's family spent a lot of time in the skerries of the Gulf of Finland, until the yacht was wrecked in the coastal skerries.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1909.
Egg with a model of the monument to Alexander III, 1910
The model inside the egg reproduces a monument by the sculptor P. Trubetskoy, erected on the Znamenskaya Square in St. Petersburg near the Nikolaevsky railway station according to the rescript of Nicholas II in memory of his father.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Maria Feodorovna for Easter 1910.
Egg "300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty", 1913 
The egg, made for the three hundredth anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, is decorated with eighteen miniature portraits of representatives of the reigning dynasty. Above and below, flat diamonds are set on the egg, through which the dates "1613" and "1913" are visible. A rotating steel blued globe is fixed inside the egg, on which there is twice a golden overlay image of the Northern Hemisphere: on one - the territory of Russia within the borders of 1613 is marked with colored gold, on the other - within the borders of 1913. In the decor of the egg, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the ruling dynasty, magnificently celebrated in the empire, elements of state symbols were abundantly used.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1913.
Egg with miniature on an easel, 1916 
The steel egg was created during the First World War - a difficult time for both Russia and the royal family. Therefore, its appearance is strict, and the decor is official and dryish. Since the egg was created in honor of the tsar's awarding the Order of St. George, IV degree, the gold frame of the miniature is decorated with a black-orange ribbon and a white enamel cross of this order.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1916.
Characteristics of Grinev in Pushkin's "The Captain's Daughter"
Characteristics of the main characters of the work War and Peace, Tolstoy
The first and second editions of "The Inspector
"War and Peace": characteristics of the main characters
Speech characteristics of the heroes of the play N