Twelve Monograms

Twelve Monograms/Alexander III Portraits Fabergé egg

Year delivered	1896
Current owner
Individual or institution	Hillwood Museum

The Twelve Monograms also known as the Alexander III Portraits Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1896, for the then Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II.

Tsar Nicholas presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna.

The Twelve Monograms/ Alexander III Portraits Egg was the second Fabergé egg given by Tsar Nicholas to his mother.

It is currently held in the Hillwood Museum in Washington, D.C. as part of the Marjorie Merriweather Post Collection.^[1]

Surprise

The surprise for this egg is missing.

Craftsmanship

Each panel of the egg contains a Cyrillic cipher of Alexander III and Maria Fedorovna, set and crowned in diamonds, set against the dark blue enamel with a design of red gold, rose-cut diamonds, portrait diamonds and velvet lining. It is covered by six panels each divided by bands set with rose-cut diamonds and decorated with the Imperial crown and Imperial monograms (MF) "Maria Fyodorovna" and (AIII) "Alexander III". Each monogram appears six times, with Maria's monogram appearing on the top half of the egg and Alexander's appearing on the bottom.

For a long time this egg was thought to have been the 1892 gift for Maria and Alexander's 25th wedding anniversary. It was also incorrectly believed to be the Imperial Easter Egg of 1895.

References

↑ Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens - The Twelve Monograms Egg

Fabergé egg

Imperial Easter Eggs	Hen Hen with Sapphire Pendant Third Cherub with Chariot Nécessaire Danish Palaces Memory of Azov Diamond Trellis Caucasus Renaissance Rosebud Blue Serpent Clock Twelve Monograms Rock Crystal Alexander III Portraits Coronation Mauve Lilies-of-the-Valley Pelican Bouquet of Lilies Clock Pansy Trans-Siberian Railway Cockerel Basket of Wild Flowers Gatchina Palace Clover Leaf Empire Nephrite Peter the Great Royal Danish Moscow Kremlin Swan Rose Trellis Cradle with Garlands Alexander Palace Peacock Standart Yacht Alexander III Commemorative Colonnade Alexander III Equestrian Fifteenth Anniversary Bay Tree Tsarevich Napoleonic Romanov Tercentenary Winter Mosaic Grisaille Red Cross with Triptych Red Cross with Imperial Portraits Steel Military Order of St. George Karelian Birch Constellation (unfinished)

Fabergé Kelch Eggs	Twelve Panel Pine Cone Apple Blossom Rocaille Bonbonnière Chanticleer

Other Fabergé eggs	Blue Striped Enamel Duchess of Marlborough Rothschild Youssoupov Nobel Ice Resurrection Spring Flowers Scandinavian

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Twelve Monograms

Surprise

Craftsmanship

References

See also