During the Easter celebrations of 1887, Russian emperor Alexander III presented his wife Marie Feodorovna with a jewel-covered Easter egg containing a ruby pendant.
The egg, designed by the renowned jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé, was such a success with the imperial family that Fabergé went on to produce dozens more. By the turn of the century, his creation had become a symbol of Russian autocracy itself.
That same period also saw various revolutionary groups struggling to overthrow that autocracy. When one of these groups, Vladimir Lenin’s Bolsheviks, took over the country in 1917, most of the Romanovs’ gold, jewels, and other treasure was confiscated and placed inside the Kremlin Armory.
That same period also saw various revolutionary groups struggling to overthrow that autocracy. When one of these groups, Vladimir Lenin’s Bolsheviks, took over the country in 1917, most of the Romanovs’ gold, jewels, and other treasure was confiscated and placed inside the Kremlin Armory.
Although Lenin had authorized the doing away of the czar and his family, his appreciation for fine art prevented him from pawning or destroying their inheritance. READ MORE...
