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View of Fabergé's Mosaic Egg and Surprise
Fabergé in the Royal Collection

An introduction to Fabergé in the Royal Collection

The Colonnade Egg

RCIN 40084

This egg's design is intended to evoke a temple of love.  Two doves in the centre represent the enduring affection between Tsar Nicholas II, who commissioned the egg, and his wife, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna.  The silver-gilt cherubs seated around the base meanwhile symbolise their four daughters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia.  The long-awaited heir to the throne, Tsarevitch Alexis, is the cupid on top.  Originally this figure held a rod which indicated the time on the clock incorporated into the egg.  All five children and their parents were tragically killed in 1918, as revolution swept across Russia. Confiscated and sold following the Revolution, the egg itself was eventually bought by Queen Mary as a gift for King George V, in 1931.


    The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Royal Collection Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.