{
"data": {
"id": 140001,
"accession_number": "1963.673",
"share_license_status": "CC0",
"tombstone": "Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg, 1915. Peter Carl Faberg\u00e9 (Russian, 1846\u20131920), Henrik Wigstr\u00f6m (Russian, 1862\u20131923), House of Faberg\u00e9 (Russian, 1842\u20131918). Gold, silver gilt, enamel, glass, ivory; overall: 8.6 x 6.4 cm (3 3/8 x 2 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The India Early Minshall Collection, 1963.673",
"current_location": "211 Faberg\u00e9",
"title": "Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg",
"creation_date": "1915",
"creation_date_earliest": 1915,
"creation_date_latest": 1915,
"artists_tags": [
"male",
"gender unknown"
],
"culture": [
"Russia, St. Petersburg"
],
"technique": "gold, silver gilt, enamel, glass, ivory",
"support_materials": [],
"department": "Decorative Art and Design",
"collection": "Decorative Arts",
"type": "Miscellaneous",
"measurements": "Overall: 8.6 x 6.4 cm (3 3/8 x 2 1/2 in.)",
"dimensions": {
"overall": {
"height": 0.086,
"height_inch": 3,
"height_inch_fraction": 0.375,
"width": 0.064,
"width_inch": 2,
"width_inch_fraction": 0.5
}
},
"state_of_the_work": null,
"edition_of_the_work": null,
"copyright": null,
"inscriptions": [
{
"inscription": "inscribed on interior of egg: symbols for Alpha and Omega and imperial crown for Alexandra Feodorovna; 1915; inscriptions in Cyrillic, Old Church Slavonic, and Roman letters which identify Sts. Olga and Tatiana and presumably describe the central scene of the triptych.",
"inscription_translation": null,
"inscription_remark": null,
"sortorder": null
},
{
"inscription": "Inscribed on silk velvet and satin lined case: double-headed eagle, Faberg\u00e9, Petersburg, Moscow, London (all in Cyrillic on lining of case); 17.559, abbreviation for \"Red Cross\" (in Cyrillic in red ink on outside of case).",
"inscription_translation": null,
"inscription_remark": null,
"sortorder": null
},
{
"inscription": "Hallmarks: 72, Kokoshnik, lower case alpha in script [assay mark of St. Petersburg, 1908-26]; H.W. [initials of workmaster Henrik Wigstr\u00f6m]; Faberg\u00e9 (in Cyrillic).",
"inscription_translation": null,
"inscription_remark": null,
"sortorder": null
}
],
"exhibitions": {
"current": [
{
"id": 520786,
"title": "The Art of Carl Faberge",
"description": "The Art of Carl Faberge. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA (organizer) (August 10-September 27, 1964).",
"opening_date": "1964-08-10T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 301086,
"title": "The India Early Minshall Collection: Faberge and his Contemporaries",
"description": "The India Early Minshall Collection: Faberge and his Contemporaries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 15, 1967-January 21, 1968).",
"opening_date": "1967-03-15T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 443609,
"title": "Faberge 1846 - 1920",
"description": "Faberge 1846 - 1920. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (organizer) (June 23-October 23, 1977).",
"opening_date": "1977-06-23T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 311503,
"title": "Intimate Images: Portrait Miniatures from Europe and America",
"description": "Intimate Images: Portrait Miniatures from Europe and America. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 26-October 17, 1993).",
"opening_date": "1993-03-26T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 441346,
"title": "Faberge, Imperial Jeweler",
"description": "Faberge, Imperial Jeweler. St. George Hall of the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation (June 18-August 15, 1993); Mus\u00e9e des arts D\u00e9coratifs, Paris, France (September 24, 1993-January 2, 1994); Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (January 26-April 10, 1994).",
"opening_date": "1993-06-16T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 208794,
"title": "Faberg\u00e9 in America",
"description": "Faberg\u00e9 in America. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (February 12-May 5, 1996); Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (organizer) (May 25-July 28, 1996); Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (August 24-November 2, 1996); New Orleans Museum of Art (December 7, 1996-February 8, 1997); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 12-May 11, 1997).",
"opening_date": "1996-02-12T00:00:00"
},
{
"id": 211192,
"title": "Faberg\u00e9's Menagerie: The Animal Creations of the Faberg\u00e9 Workshop",
"description": "Faberg\u00e9's Menagerie: The Animal Creations of the Faberg\u00e9 Workshop. Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR (February 8-May 2, 2004).",
"opening_date": "2003-02-14T00:00:00"
},
{
"id": 194450,
"title": "Artistic Luxury: Faberg\u00e9 Tiffany Lalique ",
"description": "Artistic Luxury: Faberg\u00e9 Tiffany Lalique . The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 19, 2008-January 18, 2009); Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (February 7-May 31, 2009).",
"opening_date": "2008-10-19T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 231725,
"title": "From Rublev to Faberg\u00e9: The Journey of Russian Art and Culture to America",
"description": "From Rublev to Faberg\u00e9: The Journey of Russian Art and Culture to America. Museum & Gallery at Heritage Green, Greenville, SC (October 21, 2011-January 29, 2012).",
"opening_date": "2011-10-21T00:00:00"
},
{
"id": 174850,
"title": "Faberg\u00e9: Designing Luxury, from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts",
"description": "Faberg\u00e9: Designing Luxury, from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (organizer) (October 14, 2012-January 13, 2013).",
"opening_date": "2012-10-14T00:00:00"
},
{
"id": 307265,
"title": "The Last Tsar: Blood and Revolution",
"description": "The Last Tsar: Blood and Revolution. Science Museum, London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (organizer) (September 20, 2018-March 24, 2019).",
"opening_date": "2018-09-20T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 402955,
"title": "Faberg\u00e9: Romance to Revolution",
"description": "Faberg\u00e9: Romance to Revolution. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (organizer) (November 20, 2021-May 8, 2022) https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/faberge.",
"opening_date": "2021-11-20T05:00:00"
}
],
"legacy": []
},
"provenance": [
{
"description": "India Early Minshall [1885\u20131965], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "?-1963",
"sortorder": 2
},
{
"description": "The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "1963-",
"sortorder": 3
}
],
"find_spot": null,
"related_works": [],
"former_accession_numbers": [],
"did_you_know": "This egg was confiscated by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution and sold by the government of Josef Stalin in the 1930s to raise money for the Soviet treasury.",
"early_education_description": null,
"artlens_description": null,
"description": "The House of Faberg\u00e9 made two imperial Easter eggs in 1915 that honored the contributions of Tsarina Alexandra and her two eldest daughters, Olga and Tatiana, to the war effort as Red Cross Sisters of Mercy. Compared to other Faberg\u00e9 eggs elaborately ornamented with jewels, the eggs reflected the mood of austerity in Russia during World War I. This version becomes an icon when opened, revealing miniatures of the patron saints of the tsarina\u2019s daughters. After the Russian Revolution, this relic of the Tsarist past was sold by the Soviet government to raise needed cash for the treasury.",
"external_resources": {
"wikidata": [
"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2186008"
],
"internet_archive": [
"https://archive.org/details/clevelandart-1963.673-imperial-red-cross-e"
]
},
"citations": [
{
"citation": "Hawley, Henry H. Faberge\u0301 and His Contemporaries: The India Early Minshall Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967.",
"page_number": "Mentioned: p. 30, cat. 11; Reproduced: p. 31.",
"url": "https://ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/836254532"
},
{
"citation": "Habsburg, Ge\u0301za von, and David Park Curry. Faberge\u0301 in America. New York, NY: Thames and Hudson, 1996.",
"page_number": "Mentioned: pp. 23, 96-98, 115, cat. 99, 124; Reproduced: pp. 97, 115.",
"url": "https://ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/34433639"
},
{
"citation": "Tillander-Godenhielm, Ulla, and Peter Carl Faberge\u0301. Faberge\u0301: ja ha\u0308nen suomalaiset mestarinsa. Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtio\u0308 Tammi, 2008.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 216-217.",
"url": "https://ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/317629230"
},
{
"citation": "Harrison, Stephen, Emmanuel Ducamp, and Jeannine J. Falino. Artistic Luxury: Faberge\u0301 Tiffany Lalique. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008.",
"page_number": "Mentioned: pp. 53-54, 177; Reproduced: pp. 55, 177; p. 328 cat. 62.",
"url": "https://ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/230187932"
},
{
"citation": "Franklin, David, and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with London: Scala Publishers, 2012.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 300-301.",
"url": "https://ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/813973055"
},
{
"citation": "McFerrin, Dorothy and Tatiana. Faberge\u0301. From a Snowflake to an Iceberg: The McFerrin Collection. Houston, TX: McFerrin Foundation, 2013.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: p. 153.",
"url": "https://ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/946091271"
},
{
"citation": "Bidwell, Frederick E., and Leslie Cade. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with New York: Scala Arts Publishers, 2014.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and reproduced: p. 147",
"url": "https://ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/857403600"
}
],
"url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1963.673",
"images": {
"annotation": null,
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_web.jpg",
"width": "900",
"height": "624",
"filesize": "156248",
"filename": "1963.673_web.jpg"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2356",
"filesize": "1155203",
"filename": "1963.673_print.jpg"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_full.tif",
"width": "12742",
"height": "8830",
"filesize": "337563060",
"filename": "1963.673_full.tif"
}
},
"alternate_images": [
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt0_web.jpg",
"width": "889",
"height": "900",
"filesize": "193426"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt0_print.jpg",
"width": "3358",
"height": "3400",
"filesize": "1597282"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt0_full.tif",
"width": "5576",
"height": "5646",
"filesize": "94474832"
},
"date_created": "2022-07-19T14:03:27",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt1_web.jpg",
"width": "900",
"height": "594",
"filesize": "161289"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt1_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2244",
"filesize": "1056011"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt1_full.tif",
"width": "8914",
"height": "5883",
"filesize": "157351240"
},
"date_created": "2022-07-19T14:19:58",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt2_web.jpg",
"width": "900",
"height": "774",
"filesize": "165059"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt2_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2923",
"filesize": "1232992"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt2_full.tif",
"width": "5397",
"height": "4640",
"filesize": "75153912"
},
"date_created": "2022-07-19T14:41:55",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt3_web.jpg",
"width": "900",
"height": "826",
"filesize": "168147"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt3_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "3121",
"filesize": "1317875"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt3_full.tif",
"width": "5194",
"height": "4768",
"filesize": "74322924"
},
"date_created": "2022-07-19T14:46:11",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt4_web.jpg",
"width": "900",
"height": "625",
"filesize": "156228"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt4_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2360",
"filesize": "1153463"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt4_full.tif",
"width": "12742",
"height": "8843",
"filesize": "338060036"
},
"date_created": "2022-07-18T22:01:48",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt5_web.jpg",
"width": "900",
"height": "614",
"filesize": "198869"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt5_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2318",
"filesize": "1728400"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt5_full.tif",
"width": "9280",
"height": "6328",
"filesize": "176199708"
},
"date_created": "2022-07-18T22:20:29",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt6_web.jpg",
"width": "900",
"height": "624",
"filesize": "210951"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt6_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2357",
"filesize": "1742685"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt6_full.tif",
"width": "9317",
"height": "6460",
"filesize": "180592016"
},
"date_created": "2022-07-18T22:33:51",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt7_web.jpg",
"width": "900",
"height": "570",
"filesize": "191445"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt7_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2153",
"filesize": "1430180"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt7_full.tif",
"width": "10644",
"height": "6741",
"filesize": "215281772"
},
"date_created": "2022-07-18T22:44:37",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt8_web.jpg",
"width": "863",
"height": "900",
"filesize": "206222"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt8_print.jpg",
"width": "3261",
"height": "3400",
"filesize": "1741082"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt8_full.tif",
"width": "6094",
"height": "6353",
"filesize": "116174388"
},
"date_created": "2022-07-18T23:01:07",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt9_web.jpg",
"width": "1191",
"height": "893",
"filesize": "451723"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt9_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2550",
"filesize": "3374462"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt9_full.tif",
"width": "5440",
"height": "4080",
"filesize": "66617212"
},
"date_created": "2007-07-24T14:25:28",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt10_web.jpg",
"width": "1191",
"height": "893",
"filesize": "472509"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt10_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2550",
"filesize": "3668671"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt10_full.tif",
"width": "5440",
"height": "4080",
"filesize": "66617392"
},
"date_created": "2007-07-24T13:54:40",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt11_web.jpg",
"width": "1116",
"height": "893",
"filesize": "376437"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt11_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2720",
"filesize": "3281749"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt11_full.tif",
"width": "4908",
"height": "3926",
"filesize": "57838280"
},
"date_created": "2007-07-23T18:00:29",
"annotation": ""
},
{
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt12_web.jpg",
"width": "1191",
"height": "893",
"filesize": "539864"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt12_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2550",
"filesize": "4086330"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.673/1963.673_alt12_full.tif",
"width": "5440",
"height": "4080",
"filesize": "66617420"
},
"date_created": "2007-07-23T18:40:43",
"annotation": ""
}
],
"creditline": "The India Early Minshall Collection",
"image_credit": null,
"sketchfab_id": "5581861292264aaab2220a9706351149",
"sketchfab_url": "https://sketchfab.com/models/5581861292264aaab2220a9706351149",
"gallery_donor_text": null,
"athena_id": 140001,
"creators": [
{
"id": 5366,
"description": "Peter Carl Faberg\u00e9 (Russian, 1846\u20131920)",
"extent": null,
"qualifier": null,
"role": "designer",
"biography": "Supplied most of the gifts exchanged by relatives of the imperial family in Russia, Denmark, Germany, and England for christenings, name days, birthdays, Christmas, and Easter.",
"name_in_original_language": null,
"birth_year": "1846",
"death_year": "1920",
"use_in_caption": true,
"include_extent": false,
"weight": 1
},
{
"id": 8891,
"description": "Henrik Wigstr\u00f6m (Russian, 1862\u20131923)",
"extent": null,
"qualifier": null,
"role": "workmaster",
"biography": "Workmaster for the House of Faberge based in St. Petersburg, Russia. Responsible for many of the imperial Easter eggs as well as enameled accessories and jewelry.",
"name_in_original_language": null,
"birth_year": "1862",
"death_year": "1923",
"use_in_caption": true,
"include_extent": false,
"weight": 2
},
{
"id": 55332,
"description": "House of Faberg\u00e9 (Russian, 1842\u20131918)",
"extent": null,
"qualifier": null,
"role": "maker",
"biography": "Peter Carl Faberge (1846-1920) took over the House of Faberge in 1870 from his father Carl Gustav Faberge who had founded the firm in 1842. Until 1881, the firm manufactured primarily jewelry for Saint Petersburg's aristocrats and wealthy elite. In 1885 the firm was awarded the coveted imperial warrant as goldsmith to the tsar and began to produce elaborate presentation Easter eggs as a gift for the tsarina from her husband every year. They also produced luxurious accessories, jewelry, and hardstone sculptures. At one point, Faberge employed over 300 workers including 22 workmasters who oversaw the production of the firm's jewelry and precious objects. A branch of the firm opened in Moscow in 1887, specializing in neo-Russian and pan-Slavic motifs in jewelry, silver, and enamel. Other branches followed in Kiev, London, and Odessa as well as new premises in Saint Petersburg. At the onset of the Russian Revolution, Peter Carl Faberge fled the country to Paris then Switzerland, where he died in 1920. His firm was nationalized by the Bolsheviks in 1918.",
"name_in_original_language": null,
"birth_year": "1842",
"death_year": "1918",
"use_in_caption": true,
"include_extent": false,
"weight": 3
}
],
"legal_status": "accessioned",
"accession_date": "1964-02-22T00:00:00",
"sortable_date": 1915,
"date_added_to_oa": null,
"date_text": "1915",
"collapse_artists": false,
"on_loan": false,
"recently_acquired": false,
"record_type": "object",
"conservation_statement": null,
"has_conservation_images": false,
"cover_accession_number": null,
"is_nazi_era_provenance": false,
"impression": null,
"alternate_titles": [],
"is_highlight": true,
"updated_at": "2026-09-23 15:03:24.221000"
}
}