One of my first stops was always going to be the Fabergé Museum. Carl Fabergé was a master goldsmith and Jeweller to the Russian Monarchy. He is famous for his Easter eggs, but you will discover in the Museum a far wider display of his work.
One of the most famous and recognised Fabergé Eggs
I was amazed by the quality of the workmanship that is on display.
But the museum also had a few other secrets that blew my mind, which I will come to later. As you enter there is a beautiful staircase that takes you to the displays.
The first rooms you encounter do not display the famous eggs, but I was immediately struck by the quality of the workmanship.
I spent a time taking in the beauty of the pieces. I would advise to research how busy the museum is. When it is a little quieter, people are not moved on from the rooms as when it is busy, you are limited as to how long you can stay in one room.
As you can see, the workmanship is amazing and it is for good reason that Fabergé was and still is held in high esteem. The story of Carl Fabergé was somewhat tragic as the fortunes turned for those who held the favour of the monarchy at the time of the Revolution.
After the October Revolution, the House of Fabergé was seized by the Bolsheviks, Carl Fabergé and his family escaped to Switzerland following different routes. Carl Fabergé died broken hearted in 1920 as he never recovered from the revolution.
Up until recently, the Fabergé Family did not have the rights to their own name.
That has since been corrected, the name has been returned to the family and they are partnered with the Museum and this brings us to the Eggs. Strangely, the coronation egg was not my favourite. You can buy eggs in the gift shop and I absolutely had to buy one. They are good quality and cost around 100€ or more depending on the size. You can see some on the Museum Website, but there are far more available in the shop. I will do a product shot with the egg I purchased.
I promised something unexpected and here it is. It needs no introduction as the beauty speaks for itself. The room is incredibly dark with amazing lighting illuminating each piece to the point I thought they were projections until I entered the room.
And yes, they are the originals.
©2022 Noel Castley-Wright