March Silent Auction

Our March silent auction presents a rare opportunity to obtain a wonderful work "Shadow on the Snow", estimated at $3,500- $4,500 by Vladimir Viktorovich Filippov. A highly sought after artist who has trained and worked under the great Russian Realist master Yuri P. Kugach (who was named one of the top ten Russian artists of the 20th Century). 

Filippov captures the native Russian countryside with a vivid intimacy that can be captured only by people who love and live close to the land.  The light dancing on the snow on "Shadow on the Snow" shows Filippov's high level of skill and his natural talent of capturing the Russian countryside. The shadows and mood in this work accentuate the wonder of this painting, This painting would make an excellent addition to a mature collection or as a great painting to start your collection.

We invite you to participate in this month's auction and thank everyone who placed bids last month.

Vladimir Viktorovich Filippov, "Shadow on the Snow" 11¾'' x 16½'', 2011, Oil on Board Estimated Value, $3,500- $4,500, Current Bid $750, M. Geller

Russia has a long tradition of the great master painters giving apprenticeship to the best of the next generation thereby keeping the venerated Russian tradition of realism alive. That is the case between the Russian master painter Yuri Petrovich Kugach and his student, Vladimir Viktorovich Filippov. They both live and work in the legendary artistic community of Academic Dacha. 

    

About half way between Moscow and St. Petersburg close to Tver, is the small village of "Akademichka" (or in English, "Academic Dacha"). It is about 10 kilometers off the main road, nestled in the Russian forest and graced by the shimmering Lake Mistino. The village has been the spiritual heart of Russian art since the village was founded in 1884. It has been the seasonal home of many of the great Russian artists over the last century and a half. The Academic Dacha initially served as a country refuge for impoverished or ailing artists from the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. Overtime, the area increasingly became a favorite with students and professors who came to paint landscapes in the open air. The setting so appealed to artists, that many spent the greater part of their lives there, purchasing small country homes (dachas) nearby. From Repin to Levitan to Kugach and countless other greats, this small village has been painted more and has inspired more great art than any other place in Russia.

   

Even today, in this idyllic setting, many great artists still call Academic Dacha home. The place has been the residence of the legendary Yuri Petrovich Kugach (who still paints at age 91) since 1951. Over the years, Yuri Petrovich has been a generous mentor to several promising artists. Kugach, who was named one of 'Russia's top twenty artists of the twenty first century' recently introduced us to one of his students. Yuri Petrovich told us that Vladimir Filippov was his finest student ever. Kugach told us that Filippov's soul was imbued with Russia's nature. He said that "while you can teach technique, color and composition---an artist's ability to 'feel' the land is unteachable." Kugach said that the instinct of greatness is genetic and that Filippov has that very rare natural talent. 

Yuri P. Kugach in his studio

  

Yuri Kugach is one of the premier 20th century Russian Realist painters. He is known in Russia and around the world for his paintings of the Russian countryside and his amazing skill of depicting space, form and feeling in his paintings. He received the USSR's highest honors for his work, taught at the renowned Surikov Institute of Art in Moscow, and founded the Moscow River School.

    

Yuri Kugachs' talents were considered so valuable that, during World War Two, the Soviet government evacuated him and ten other artists to Uzbekistan to escape the Nazi onslaught.

  

In 1951 Yuri moved to the Tver region-renowned for its scenic countryside-to instruct at the House of Artists of Russia. Themes of nature and village life are a powerful and unifying principle in much Russian art. As avant-garde art began to rise in the estimation of critics, to help preserve the realist tradition.     

    

Vladimir V. Filippov

   

The Apprentice- Vladimir Viktorovich Filippov  

    

Vladimir V. Filippov was born in 1956 in Vyshniy Volochek.  He spent his childhood in Novoye Kotchische Village, where such famous artists as brothers Sergei & Aleksei Tkachev lived.  It was also not far from the Academic Dacha named after the great painter Ilya E. Repin.  The Academic Dacha is a well-known Art Academy and artist community in Russia, and that creative atmosphere had a great influence on young Vladimir's creative future.  Filippov spent long hours visiting artist's in their studios, admiring great artists and their paintings.  Since childhood Vladimir's dream was to become a great artist.

  

But at the beginning, Vladimir's way of life was sidetracked from art. Having graduated from the Railway Collage, he enrolled in the Soviet Army. After his demobilization, he entered the Agricultural Academy. However, he never abandoned his dream to become an artist. Vladimir painted his first water-colored still life from nature in the studio of Nikolai A. Sysoev, who was an honored artist of the Soviet Union. He painted with great vigor under Sysoev's direction. Later on in 1970, he became acquainted with Peter I. Strakhov and Peter's wife Lia A. Ostrovaya, who were famous artists in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Peter Straknov made great contributions and progress in Vladimir's creative development. Since 1970, Vladimir Filippov has devoted his life to painting full time. He has been an enduring participant of all the local and regional exhibitions since 1980.

    

Since 1990, Filippov has trained and worked under the Russian Realist masters Yuri P. Kugach (senior) and his son Mikhail Y. Kugach, who is now head of the Kugach Studio and a full member of the Russian Academy of Arts.  Also, Vladimir has painted in the company of such wonderful artists as Grigory Chainikov and Andrei Zakharov.  These artists and close friends have played an important role in Vladimir's development as an artist.  Filippov is one of the few artists continuing the great tradition of Russian Realistic Art.

  

Vladimir Filippov is a member of the Union of Russian Artists since 2003. His paintings are exhibited in the Museums of Mogilev and Bobruisk (Republic of Byelorussia), in the Museum of Harbin (China), in many private art collections in Russia, Czech Republic, Yugoslavia, Romania, Finland, Germany, China, and the USA.

    

Now, a quick comparison of a work by the 92 year old Master Yuri P. Kugach, with one by his much younger student, Vladimir V. Filippov.  Even to those familiar with Kugach's work it's difficult to tell which work is by which artist. One easy way to tell is to look at the price, $42,000 for Kugach's, "The Rain Has Passed" and $3,900 for Filippov's, "Blossoming Time".  Don't miss this rare opportunity to add a wonderful work by a fantastic artist to your collection. The Current bid is just $750!

Yuri P. Kugach, "The Rain Has Passed" 10'' x 16", 1978, Oil on Board, $42,000

Vladimir V. Filippov, "Blossoming Time" 11¾'' x 15¾'', 2009, Oil on Board, $3,900

 

Russia Awards World's Biggest Art Prize

The $800,000 International Plastov Awards   

The Plastov award celebrates figurative or realist art in the spirit of Plastov's realist socialist paintings. Plastov, who died in 1972, was best known for his unique blend of Impressionist verve and technical skill and depictions of Russian rural life. Plastov was regarded as a genius by Soviet authorities, yet fled big-city honors to paint all his life in his home village of Prislonikha in the heart of Mother Russia just 50 miles east of Ulyanovsk. He was named people's artist of the USSR and was laureate of the Stalin prize in 1946.

To William MacDougall, whose firm specializes in auctions of Russian art: 'Plastov's dazzling skill was not only shared by many 20th century Russian artists, but remains a source of inspiration to modern artists everywhere and believes the prize is set to revolutionize the art scene around the globe!

The award is open to all artists from around the world who work in Figurative (or 'Realist') style - a time-honored style that many art-lovers feel has been unjustly neglected in recent times, faced with the onslaught of abstract or conceptual forms of art that can often seem baffling and inaccessible. 

(From left to right) The Russian Ambassador to Great Britain Alexander Vladimirovich Yakovenko, The Governor of Ulyanovsk Sergey Morozov, The Minister of Arts and Cultural Policy of the Ulyanovsk region Tatiana Murdasov, Founding Director of MacDougall Arts Katherine MacDouga

The award is funded by the Russian Government in conjunction with the Region of Ulyanovsk on the Volga, where Plastov was born. Speaking at the ceremony the governor of Ulyanovsk, Sergey Morozov, said: "We are the only region in Russia that has as its strategy the development of art. This means that we recognize culture as the main driver of our development, not aviation, not cars, not nuclear power, but culture. You won't find a territory that has brought so many talented people into this world."

  

He added that the community and government of Ulyanovsk believed figurative painting, a staple of Russian culture, needed to be supported and revitalized. "This is why we are establishing one of the largest awards in the world. We hope the paintings of this artist Plastov will help you understand our endless country."

   

Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky says he wants the awards to become the equivalent of a 'Nobel Prize for Art.'

 

Arkady Plastov, People's Artist of the USSR, in his studio

ARKADY ALEKSANDROVICH  PLASTOV, 1893 - 1972

 

Arkadi Aleskandrovich Plastov (Russian- Аркадий Александрович Пластов) was born January 31, 1893 into a peasant family in Prislonikha village of Ulyanovsk Region in pre-revolutionary Russia - Symbirsk.  He studied drawing under D.I. Archangelsky at Symbirsk Theological Seminary (1903-1908). Entered the workshop of F.F. Fedorovsky at the Central Artistic and Industrial College in Moscow (1912-1914). During 1914-1917, he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (sculpture department) under S.M. Volnukhin. While there Plastov also attended classes by A.E. Arkhipov, A.M. Vasnetsov, A.M. Korin, L.O. Pasternak, A.S. Stepanov. 

 

The late Impressionist painters, members of the Union of Russian Artists, in particular Abram Arkhipov and Konstantin Korovin, as well as the lyrical, rich colourism of Sergey Gerasimov, had the greatest effect on Plastov. At first he worked mainly in posters and book illustration. He continued to produce book illustrations, but he achieved acclaim as a painter. His first significant painting was the Collective Farm Holiday (1937; St Petersburg, Russian. Museum), executed in the official Socialist Realist style of the 1930s. Yet the spirited, strikingly emotional style of painting and the liveliness of the national types compensate to a considerable extent for its propagandist content. He visited Moscow during 1927-1930 and worked at several publishing houses.  In 1931, a fire in Plastov's house burned all his works.

Arkady Plastov, "Germans Are Coming", 1941

Plastov worked on placards depicting military and agriculture subjects.  He painted portraits and compositions from the lives of  peasants and in 1935, he painted his first large scale works.  He became a member of the Union of Artists of USSR in 1937.  In 1939 he worked under "Honored People of Soviet Land" for the Soviet pavilion at the World Exhibition "World of Tomorrow" in New York City.  He opened a studio in Moscow in 1940.

  

Plastov's famous war-time pieces, from 1941-1945, were painted during many visits to the front line.  Plastov was awarded with the rank "Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation", became First Grade State Prize Laureate (1945) and became a member of the Academy of Arts of USSR in 1947.  Having the rank of People's Artist of the Russian Federation, he visited France, Italy, and in 1956 he participated at the "Biennale di Venezia."

Arkady Plastov, "Kolkhoz Festival", Oil on Canvas, 1937, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

Plastov was elected a full member of the Academy of Arts of USSR (1947).and won The People's Artist of USSR award in 1962. Other honors include being elected to the member of the Board of the Union of Artist of RF and USSR, awarded the gold metal of the Ministry of Culture of USSR, honored medal of Calcutta's Society of Arts, and was elected to the Secretary of the Board of Union of Artists of USSR.  Plastov's works are held  by Tretyakov State Gallery, Moscow, the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, in the Plastov Museum in Ulianovsk, the Samara regional artistic museum and in many other major museums of the former USSR

 

Arkadi Aleskandrovich Plastov died May 12, 1972 in Prislonikha.  He was awarded (after death) the State Repin Prize of the Russian Federation (named after Ilya Repin).

 

Fabergé & The Romanov Imperial Easter Eggs

The most famous decorated and lavish Easter eggs were those from the series created by Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian Imperial family, between 1885 and 1916, against an extraordinary historical backdrop.

  

  

The act of giving Eggs in spring was a pagan tradition adopted by early Christians. The old tradition was to give dyed chicken eggs and later it became chocolate eggs. The act of Egg giving is popular in Eastern Europe with the tradition indicating the birth of something new. Easter is the most important occasion of the year in the Russian Orthodox Church, equivalent to Christmas in the West. A centuries-old tradition of bringing hand-colored eggs to Church to be blessed and then presented to friends and family, had evolved through the years and, among the highest echelons of St Petersburg society, the custom developed of presenting ornate valuable bejeweled Easter gifts. As the Russian monarchy were Russian orthodox Christians, the Tsar Alexander III wanted to surprise his wife, Empress Marie Fedorovna with a jeweled Egg as a symbol of his love and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their betrothal. In 1885 he commissioned Fabergé to create a precious Easter egg as a surprise for the Empress, and thus the first Imperial Easter egg was born.

  

It is believed that the Tsar, who had first become acquainted with Fabergé's virtuoso work at the Moscow Pan-Russian Exhibition in 1882, was inspired by an 18th century egg owned by the Empress's aunt, Princess Wilhelmine Marie of Denmark. The object was said to have captivated the imagination of the young Maria during her childhood in Denmark. Tsar Alexander was apparently involved in the design and execution of the egg, making suggestions to Fabergé as the project went along.

The Hen Egg, the first Imperial egg, was presented by Tsar Alexander III to his wife, Tsarina Maria Feodorovna in 1885, at Easter 1885. Its value is estimated at USD 3-4 million.

 

The First Imperial - Hen Egg 1885

  

Known as the Hen Egg, it is crafted from gold, its opaque white enameled 'shell' opening to reveal its first surprise, a matt yellow gold yolk. This in turn opens to reveal a multi-colored, superbly chased gold hen that also opens. Originally, this contained a minute diamond replica of the Imperial Crown from which a small ruby pendant egg was suspended. Unfortunately these last two surprises have been lost.  

This special Faberge egg so delighted the Czarina that the Czar promptly ordered the Faberge firm to design further eggs to be delivered every Easter. In later years Nicholas II, Alexander's son, continued the custom. Fifty-seven eggs were made in all. 

  

The Empress's delight at this intriguing gift with its hidden jeweled surprises was the starting point for the yearly Imperial tradition that continued for 32 years until the 1917 Russian revolution and produced the most opulent and captivating Easter gifts the world has ever seen. The eggs were private and personal gifts, and the whole spectacular series charted the romantic and tragic story leading up to the end of the mighty Romanovs.  

    

Each egg, an artistic tour de force, took a year or more to make, involving a team of 

highly skilled craftsmen, who worked in the greatest secrecy. Fabergé was given complete freedom in the design and execution, with the only prerequisite being that there had to be surprise within each creation. Dreaming up each complex concept, Fabergé often drew on family ties, events in Imperial Court life, or the milestones and achievements of the Romanov dynasty, as in the Fifteenth Anniversary Egg of 1911, commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of Nicholas II's accession to the throne, or the Romanov Tercentenary Egg of 1913 that celebrated 300 years of the House of Romanov, showing portrait miniatures of the Russian dynastic rulers.

 

Although the theme of the Easter eggs changed annually, the element of surprise remained a constant link between them. The surprises ranged from a perfect miniature replica of the Coronation carriage - that took 15 months to make working 16-hour days - through a mechanical swan and an ivory elephant, to a heart-shaped frame on an easel with 11 miniature portraits of members of the Imperial family.

   

Alexander III presented an egg each year to his wife the Empress Marie Fedorovna and the tradition was continued, from 1895, by his son Nicholas II who presented an egg annually to both his wife the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna and to his mother the Dowager Empress Marie Fedorovna. However, there were no presentations during 1904 and 1905 because of political unrest and the Russo-Japanese War.

  

The final two Imperial Easter Eggs, the Constellation Egg for his wife and the Birch Egg for his mother were commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1917 were due to be completed and delivered to the Tsar that Easter.  Before the eggs were delivered however, the February Revolution took place and Nicholas II was forced to abdicate the throne on March 15th. 

   

Following the Russian Revolution, the House of Fabergé was nationalized by the Bolsheviks, and the Fabergé family fled to Switzerland, where Peter Carl Fabergé died in 1920. The Romanov palaces were ransacked and their treasures moved on order of Vladimir Lenin to the Kremlin Armoury.

   

Of the 50 eggs Fabergé made for the Imperial family from 1885 through to 1916, on 42 have survived. Today the Faberge eggs are now scattered across many collections, notably the Russian Imperial museum, the Russian oligarch Viktor Hellenburg, Malcolm Forbes, The British Royal collection, Prince Albert of Monaco, King Farouk of Egypt, the Sandoz millionaires and Armand Hammer ( of Occidental Petroleum) among the famous collectors. 

  

Notable Eggs

   

  

The Coronation Egg, 1897

  

The most famous Faberge egg in existence, this special Egg was made for Nicholas II's coronation as a gift for the Tsarina. The gold and diamond extravaganza concealed the 'surprise' of an imperial coach made of gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies and enamel.

 

The surface is  enameled translucent yellow applied to a golden field of starbursts. The egg is trellised with bands of laurel wrought from gold. Opaque, black-enameled 

Imperial eagles appear at each trellis intersection. Each eagle carries a small diamond on its chest.    

  

The miniature coronation coach contained within is highly-detailed and took 15 months to fabricate. The upholstery of the original coach was faithfully reproduced in red and blue enamel. The gilt coach frame was reproduced in gold, the iron wheel rims in platinum, and glass windows in etched rock crystal. The coach is surmounted by an Imperial crown with rose diamonds.

 

The most expensive egg with 1,660 diamonds on the egg, and 1,378 on the basket, the "Winter Egg" is the most expensive Imperial Easter Egg ever made. In 1913 the price was 24,700 rubles (752 USD today). In 2002 it sold at an auction at Christie's in New York City for 9.6 million USD. The buyer was the Emir of Qatar.

The Winter Egg, designed by Alma Pihl, famed for her series of diamond snowflakes, is made of carved rock crystal as thin as glass. This is embellished with engraving, and ornamented with platinum and diamonds, to resemble frost. The egg rests on a rock-crystal base designed as a block of melting ice. Its surprise is a magnificent and platinum basket of exuberant wood anemones. The flowers are made from white quartz, nephrite, gold and demantoid garnets and they emerge from moss made of green gold. Its overall height is 14.2cm. It is set with 3,246 diamonds. The egg sold at Christie's in New York in 2002 for US$9.6 million.

 

The Dowager Egg, or Imperial Pelican Egg, 1898

This is one of the few eggs that isn't covered in enamel. Instead it is made of red gold, engraved with motifs of the Arts and Sciences, and the inscription "Visit our vineyards, O Lord, and we shall dwell in thee". On top of the egg sits a pelican in opalescent grey, blue and pink enamel and diamonds. As a symbol of maternal care, the pelican is feeding her young in the nest. The egg is then supported by a four-legged stand of varicolored gold.  

This egg was made for the centennial celebration of the patronage of charitable institutions by the Dowager Empress of Russia, and this can be seen when the surprise unfurls. When taken off its stand the whole egg opens up and unfolds into eight oval panels, each rimmed in pearls.   

Romanov Tercentenary Egg, 1913

This egg commemorates 300 years of Romanov rule. Enameled translucent white on a guilloche gold field, it is decorated with a pattern of chased gold, double-headed eagles and ancient and contemporary Romanov crowns, framing-at intervals-miniatures of all eighteen Romanov rulers, within rose-cut diamond borders. The miniatures, painted on ivory, are by Zuiev. The inside of the egg is covered with opalescent white enamel on a guilloche ground. The egg, which is removable, rests on a pedestal in the form of a three-sided Imperial eagle in pale gold, the three talons holding respectively, the scepter, orb, and Romanov sword. Supporting this, the circular gem-set purpurine base, mounted in gold, represents the Russian Imperial shield.

Within the egg is a rotating steel globe, enameled dark blue and divided into two halves. One hemisphere shows a map of the Russian Empire in 1613, the other, in 1913. The blue enamel represents the sea, and the landmasses are described in colored golds. Portrait diamonds are set at either end of this egg, the one on the top covering the dates 1613 and 1913, while the triangular diamond at the base covers the tsarina's monogram.

Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna made a pilgrimage in the tercentenary year, retracing the journey made by Michael Romanov on his way to the throne. In fact, the celebrations across Russia were sustained, extravagant, and, judging by photographs, well attended by the masses. 

Memory of Azov Egg, 1891 

 

 

The egg is carved from a solid piece of heliotrope jasper, also known as bloodstone, flecked with red and blue. It is decorated in the Louis XV style with a superimposed gold pattern of rococo scrolls ornated with brilliant diamonds and chased gold flowers. The clasp consists of a ruby and two diamonds. The interior of the egg is lined with green velvet.

This Egg commemorates the voyage by the Tsarevich Nicholas and Grand Duke George to the Far East in 1890, made at the suggestion of their parents to broaden the outlook of the future Tsar and his younger brother. The voyage was a disaster because, suffering from tuberculosis, George's condition worsened and Nicholas was attacked by a would-be assassin in a Japanese town and sustained a serious head wound. The Egg was presented to the Tsarina before these events occurred, and it never was one of her favorite Eggs.

The Memory of Azov Egg never left Russia and is one of the ten Imperial Eggs in the Kremlin Armory Museum in Moscow.  

The egg contains an exact replica of the cruiser Memory of Azov (Pamiat Azova), executed in gold and platinum, with windows set with small diamonds, and rests on a piece of aquamarine, representing water. It measures 7 x 4 cm.

The name "Azov" appears on the stern of the ship. The plate has a golden frame with a loop enabling the model to be removed from the egg.

Basket of Wildflowers Egg, 1901

The 1901 Flower Basket Egg, also known as Basket of Wild Flowers Egg, is made of silver, parcel-gilt, opalescent oyster and (later) dark blue enamel, rose-cut diamonds, green gold, and opaque multicolored enamels for the flowers.

In the form of a flower basket, this silver Egg's body is covered with opalescent oyster enamel and applied with a trellis-work in rose-cut diamonds. The date, 1901, is also in rose-cut diamonds. The foot of this egg is now dark blue enamel. A beautiful composition of wildflowers sits in green gold thread moss. The flowers are made of gold and are covered with a variety of colors of enamel, including pink, white, dark-blue, orange and mauve. The basket is finished with a diamond-set handle.

An old photograph (1902) exists on which the entire body of this Egg was white enamel. It is assumed that the foot was restored after the Russian Revolution and changed from white to dark-blue.

In 1933 the Basket of Flowers Egg was sold by the Antikvariat to an unrecorded buyer, probably Emanuel Snowman of Wartski, or Michel Norman of the Australian Pearl Company. In 1933 acquired by Queen Mary, UK. - 1953 inherited by Queen Elizabeth II, UK.

It is not known if there was a surprise with this Egg. The original Fabergé invoice mentions "pearls" and since there are no pearls on the Egg, they probably were connected to the surprise. A broche or a string of pearls perhaps in some way attached to the Egg?

The Renaissance Egg, 1895

   

  

Made of milky agate and inlaid with diamonds, gold, rubies, and enamel this egg was originally thought to contain a surprise gift of pearls. The swing handles on either side are lion's faces. Ithas the year 1894 embellished in diamonds on the top.

The Resurrection Egg ? 1894 - some consider this as the 'surprise' within the Renaissance Egg.

  

A recent unclassified discovery of a resurrection egg has brought speculation that the resurrection egg could have been the original surprise. It follows the same contour as the renaissance egg and is said to fit exactly within.

 

A highly intriguing hypothesis has recently been advanced by Christopher Forbes, namely that the Resurrection Egg is in fact the surprise originally contained in the Renaissance Egg. This would account for its being shown in the same showcase at the 1902 exhibition, where surprises have been separated from their eggs. Moreover, style and coloring of both objects are virtually identical and the size of the Resurrection Egg perfectly fits the curvature of the egg. The invoice of the Renaissance Egg mentions a pearl, which is not accounted for unless it was part of the surprise. This work of art does not bear an inventory number, which speaks in favor of an Imperial presentation, a hypothesis which would explain why the Resurrection Egg is not included in the generally accepted list of Imperial eggs.

  

The egg depicts Jesus rising from his tomb, and is the only Fabergé egg to explicitly reference the Easter story

 

 

Inside: miniature replica of The Bronze Horseman, 1.19 inches high and is mounted on a sapphire and gold base

The surprise is that when the egg is opened, a mechanism within raises into position from the lower half of the shell a miniature model in gold of Peter the Great's monument on the Neva, made by Gerogii Malychevin, resting on a base of sapphire. The clasp of the Egg is the Romanov Double Eagle. The reason for this choice of surprise is the story of a legend from the 19th century that says enemy forces will never take St. Petersburg while the "Bronze Horseman" stands in the middle of the city.  

This simple pattern of stems and leaves of clover makes the shape of an egg. It seems to be woven of very tiny golden threads which span a very expressive picture. The gaps between the metal outline of leaves are covered with transparent bright green enamel. A very thin golden ribbon paved with rubies curls here or there through the rich foliage. 

The "surprise" of the egg had been lost but according to the archives four leaves with 23 diamonds and 4 portrait miniatures of the emperor's daughters (Olga, Tatyana, Maria and Anastasia) were fixed inside the egg. These leaves were the symbol of the happy marriage of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna. Little clips inside the Egg probably held the surprise in place, much like the 1914 Mosaic Egg.

This beautiful gold Easter egg is enameled in translucent pale green and latticed with rose-cut diamonds and decorated with opaque light and dark pink enamel roses and emerald green leaves. A portrait diamond is set at either end of this Egg, the one at the base covering the date "1907". Unfortunately the monogram, that probably was under the portrait diamond at the other end, has now disappeared.

Originally the Egg contained an oval jeweled locket in which the surprise was hidden. Only the impression on the satin lining now remains. Research indicates the surprise was a diamond chain with a watercolor miniature of the little Tsarevich Alexei, painted on ivory.

15th Aniversary Egg, 1911

The opalescent and opaque white enamel egg is encased within a grid-shaped cage work of gold and green enamel oval-shaped garlands bordered by diamonds, which frame eighteen scenes painted by court miniaturist Vassily Zuiev, depicting miniature portraits of the Imperial family, the czarina, her husband and their five children, and highlights of significant occasions from their lives together, and major events of the reign. The dates of Nicholas and Alexandra's wedding, 1894, and the fifteenth anniversary of the Coronation, 1911, are set beneath the portraits of the Czarina and the Czar respectively. Beneath a table diamond at the top of the egg is the crowned monogram of Tsarina Alexandra; the base is set with a rose-cut diamond - signed Fabergé.

The seven exquisite oval family miniatures by Vasilii Zuiev show all the family united, the apparently happy parents, the four beautiful daughters and the handsome son. Few were those who were initiated into the intense suffering of the parents occasioned by the Heir to the Throne's hemophilia. The boy's illness would in due course bring Rasputin on the scene with tragic consequences for the Imperial family.

The egg had enormous personal significance to the Empress because it depicted, among other events, the dedication of the Pont Alexandre III in Paris, which the Empress attended, and the Veneration of St. Seraphim of Sarov, a Saint the Empress particularly admired.  

Lilies of the Valley, 1898

Faberge made a point of learning something of the private lives of his most important clients. He knew that pink was the favorite color of the Empress, and lilies of the valley her favorite flower. Every spring, Alexandra had the rooms of the palaces filled with beautiful floral bouquets. As well pearls were her favorite jewels so the combination in this Egg would have delighted her.

This egg is one of only three eggs executed in the Art Nouveau style, of which the Empress was very fond. Gold egg enameled translucent rose on a guilloche  field covered with gold-stemmed flowers made of pearls, diamonds and rubies on a guilloche field, segmented by narrow bands of small diamonds. It is supported on four dull green gold cabriole legs composed of overlapping leaves veined with rose diamonds. The egg is surmounted by a rose diamond and cabochon ruby Imperial Crown set with two bows and quartered by four lines of rose diamonds and decorated with lilies-of-the-valley in pearls and rose diamonds. The background for the flowers - rose colored enamel - is complemented by the spring green leaves, which are also enamel.

On top of the egg, a tiny replica of the imperial crown sits. When lightly depressed, reveals the surprise of this egg. It releases a geared mechanism inside to raise from the top the fan of three tiny oval miniatures by Johannes Zehngraf. The portraits of the Czar Nicholas II in military uniform, and his first two daughters, Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana are framed by rose diamond borders and backed with gold panels engraved with the presentation date: April 5, 1898. A turn in the opposite direction automatically folds and returns the miniatures back to the interior of the egg. 

Visit the gallery to view our large selection of  Wooden Russian Easter Eggs.

 

Russian Easter Eggs and Traditions

 

For the Russian Orthodox, the colored egg has always been one of the main symbols of Easter. There are two types of Easter eggs mostly used in Russia: "pisanki", richly ornamented eggs of two, three or four colors, and "krashenki", eggs of one color, without any ornamentation. In compliance with ancient traditions Russians mark the celebration of Easter with presenting colored eggs to each other.

     

Keeping to the old traditions, modern Russian artists paint wooden eggs with Bible scenes or scroll-work. They also depict churches and convents. They practice the technique of Russian lacquer that dates back to the XIX century, but the variety of depictions is really surprising. Icon-painting motives executed in strict canons, floral motives, Easter scenes, portraits, animals, architecture, landscapes. architectural depictions, ornamental decoration, and many more.

By the beginning of the 20th century Easter eggs making became an independent branch of Russian decorative and applied arts. 

 

At present time decorated eggs are made of wood and then painted with different topics, of crystal and glass materials then engraved and painted with gold paints, of metal, stones and porcelain. The topics for painting can be different - floral motives, Easter scenes, portraits, animals, architecture, landscapes and many more.

Art Destined for the Dump, Found in NY Garage Appraised at $30 Million

Thomas Schultz, of Bellport, NY, sorting through artwork by Arthur Pinajian

Mr. Schultz, and his friend Mr. Joseph, a writer and businessman, paid an extra $2,500 for the art collection and set about restoring it.

It is rare to discover the entire collection of an artist's life's works virtually intact. It is even more rare when that work is of such compelling quality that it stops art historians in their tracks.

It took several months for the distinguished historian of American art, William Innes Homer, to carefully review the stacks of paintings that comprise the life's works of Arthur Pinajian. The deeper he looked the clearer his conclusion came into focus: "He pursued his goals in isolation with the single-minded focus of a Gauguin or Cézanne, refusing to give up in the face of public indifference. He was passionate and unequivocally committed. Ultimately, Pinajian's work reflects the soul of a flawed, yet brilliant, artistic genius. When he hits the mark, especially in his abstractions, he can be ranked among the best artists of his era."

Landscape Bellport by Arthur Pinajian

The posthumous attention is unusual for an artist who "did not conform to today's norms," art historian Peter Hastings Falk told The Armenian Weekly. "He devoted his life to art but never won acclaim for his work. He spent years toiling away on canvases , but no one saw his art. He received no reviews and not one of his paintings or works on paper was ever shown in a New York gallery or museum."  

Arthur Pinajian, oil on canvas, 1959

Pinajian struggled financially and relied on his secretary sister for support. The siblings lived together most of their lives and neither married. Pinajian's cousin, John Aramian, said: "He thought he was going to be the next Picasso. They believed he would become famous and this would all pay off for them one day but it just never happened. Pinajian grew more and more frustrated and eventually withdrew from the world to devote himself to painting.

-Some pieces have already sold for $500,000. Fifty of his landscapes are currently on exhibit at Manhattan's Fuller Building. 

-A recently published book by art historian William Innes Homer calls Pinajian's abstractions among the best of his era.

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