1896 Coronation of Nicholas II and Alexandra Fyodorovna. 1898, Laurits Tuxen
On May 26, 1896, Nicholas and Alexandra were crowned Tsar and Tsarina of Russia in the Uspenski Cathedral in Moscow. It was one of the most magnificent pageants in Russian history. Over 7,000 guests from across the globe, including most of Europe’s royalty, attended. The celebrations lasted for two weeks.
The newly-crowned Romanov Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, 1896
At Easter 1897, Tsar Nicholas II presented his wife with a fabulous Easter egg to commemorate the coronation.
Faberge's Coronation Egg (1897)
Nicholas was in the habit of giving his wife an Imperial Easter egg every year. But the Coronation Egg (1897) was larger and more lavish than any before. The surface was enameled primrose yellow in a field of starbursts. Trellised with bands of laurel made of gold, each intersection was marked by Imperial eagles bearing tiny diamonds on their chests.
Created by the court jeweler, Peter Carl Faberge, the exquisitely handcrafted egg had a tiny surprise inside:
a precise reproduction – under 4 inches long – of the 18th Century coach that carried Alexandra to her coronation.”
Faberge's Coronation Egg (1897): The Surprise
Working all day and into the night, seven days a week, it took approximately 15 months just to handcraft the carriage! It was barely finished in time to be presented to the Empress. (1)
Close-up of the miniature carriage from the Faberge Coronation Egg
Readers, for more on Nicholas and Alexandra on this blog, click here.
To see more Faberge Imperial Egg history, click here.
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