The Rothschild Fabergé Egg - Russian Works of Art, 28 November 2007, London A landmark discovery, this exceptional and unrecorded work of art is expected to realise £6 million to £9 million
News-Antique.com - Oct 09,2007 - THE ROTHSCHILD FABERGÉ EGG TO BE OFFERED
AT CHRISTIE’S LONDON IN NOVEMBER 2007
- A landmark discovery, this exceptional and unrecorded work of art is
expected to realise £6 million to £9 million
King Street – Christie’s announce that they will offer at auction a
remarkable discovery, The Rothschild Fabergé Egg. Previously
unrecorded and an addition to no more than 12 documented
examples known to have been made to Imperial standards for
anyone other than the Russian Imperial Family, this exceptional
work of craftsmanship is expected to realise £6 million to £9
million ($12 to $18 million) and potentially establish a new world
record price for a Russian object. The Rothschild Fabergé Egg will be
offered at the auction of Russian Works of Art on 28 November
2007, and will highlight Russian Art Week, a series of auctions
dedicated to Russian Pictures, Works of Art, Books, Manuscripts
and Icons which will take place in London from 26 to 29
November 2007.
Anthony Philips, International Director of Silver and Russian Works of Art at Christie’s: “The discovery
of this masterpiece is the most exciting of my 40 year career. Although few examples exist, The Fabergé Egg is known
around the world as one of the most impressive and exclusive works of art ever made. The Rothschild Fabergé Egg,
signed and dated by Karl Fabergé in 1902, encapsulates every characteristic that defines a true masterpiece; authorship,
craftsmanship, provenance, condition and rarity, and we expect this remarkable object to be of profound interest to private
collectors and institutions from around the world.”
Alexis de Tiesenhausen, International Head of Russian Art at Christie’s: “Over recent years, Russian works
of art have flourished on the international platform which Christie’s provides, and the interest and value in this category
has increased considerably. The Rothschild Fabergé Egg presents superlative Russian craftsmanship to the international
collecting community, and we expect to attract the interest of clients from around the world during its forthcoming tour of
New York, Moscow, Paris and Geneva, and at the auction in November at Christie’s in London. The Rothschild
Fabergé Egg highlights a week of sales when we will offer a series of auctions dedicated to Russian works of art and we
look forward to capturing the interest of the international collecting community during what promises to be a landmark
week of sales in London.”
The Rothschild Fabergé Egg has never been published and has only ever been recorded in private family
records. The egg was a gift from Beatrice Ephrussi (1864-1934) (neé de Rothschild) to Germaine
Halphen (1884-1975) on the occasion of the latter’s engagement to Beatrice’s younger brother, Baron
Edouard de Rothschild (1868-1949). They married in 1905 and it has remained in the family ever
since. Beatrice’s husband Maurice Ephrussi (1849-1916) was born in Odessa, Russia, and worked for
the Rothschild family’s oil interests in Baku. He went on to become a banker, helping to establish the
Ephrussi Bank in Paris. It is possible that Maurice ordered the egg whilst in St.
