Faberge's Eggs: The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire

I purchased this book in 2008. The dearth of illustrations resulted in my putting it on a shelf and ignoring it.With the recent release of a Kindle edition, I revisited the hardcover.What I wanted was a "biography" of Faberge's Imperial eggs. Preferably an egg by egg narration of when each was commissioned, the circumstances, its composition, its artistry, each egg's travels and eventual resting place.I got parts of that, but with all the eggs jumbled together. As another reviewer pointed out, the book needs to be read with Wikipedia on hand for reference.I did enjoy the comment about how Malcolm Forbes driving up auction prices helped rediscovery of the eggs' artistic worth.Anyhow, I'm not buying the Kindled edition and am donating the hardcover. I earnestly hope that the next reader will be more pleased than I.

Faberge's eggs - intricate, opulent mementos of domestic intimacy - epitomized the last decades of the Romanov dynasty. Nobody except the Tsar of Russia could have commissioned such magnficent jewelled works of art, yet many of them were made to commemorate private celebrations and special places. When the Romanov empire crumbled and the other treasures were dispersed, even the new Communist leaders sought to preserve Faberge's eggs. Ironically the eggs emerged to symbolize the capitalist age of the 20th century, as millionaires collected them like unique trophies of wealth.This book traces the eggs from the earliest inspirations of Carl Faberge and his first Imperial commission to create an egg for Tsarina Marie, as a memory of her childhood. It follows the royal family tradition of a new egg for Marie from her husband the Tsar every Easter for the rest of his life; and how their son Nicholas continued the tradition, commissioning one egg for his wife and one for his mother each year. Faber examines how Faberge designed the eggs to reflect significant historical events in Russia as well as special memories for the Imperial family throughout Nicholas' reign - up until the last unfinished egg of 1917, that Nicholas never saw although he did receive a bill addressed to Nicholas Romanov after his abdication.The story of the eggs did not end with the fall of the Romanovs. Faber traces the fate of each egg, including what is known of those that are missing, and we see how they captivated royalty, con artists, entrepreneurs and millionaires throughout the twentieth century. There are plenty of amusing and poignant anecdotes, such as the millionaire Malcolm Forbes who was determined to "beat" the Kremlin's score of ten Faberge eggs. When he finally collected his 11th egg, he told reporters that his search wasn't finished because most people do buy eggs by the dozen. And after his death, his sons respected his wishes and released the eggs onto the market, so someone else could have the fun of collecting them.The book is an excellent companion piece for anyone who has been fascinated by the Romanov dynasty and its downfall... for anyone who loves reading of intricate and costly works of art... and for anyone who wants to read a simple creative history of the twentieth century from a unique perspective.

This book is quite informative. It covers the history of the Faberge eggs, along with background information on Russia during the time the eggs were being made, and short biographies of the major players who subsequently purchased/sold the eggs after the 1917 revolution.The writing is good, being easy to read yet with a good amount of detail. The research is fairly comprehensive. But I had the following issues:◘ The book would be much better if it had pictures of the imperial eggs. Text descriptions just don't do them justice. I had to keep switching back and forth between the book and the web browser to see what they looked like.◘ As of the writing of this review, the book is about 10 years old. In that 10 years, the mechanical elephant surprise has been found, and other "common knowledge" about the eggs was adjusted because of new information that came to light. So there are times when the book is factually incorrect because of new revelations. Perhaps it's time for an updated edition?◘ Some of the author's facts about Russian history are incorrect. He states that Czar Nicholas was executed with a shot to the head, while there are no bullet holes in the Czar's skull. He also says that Rasputin's dead body had water in his lungs, while this was not the case. These beliefs (water in the lungs and shot to the head) are common misconceptions, but the author should have been able to determine their falsity if he'd done proper research.◘ I bought the Kindle e-book version, and there were periodic typos such as missing characters, missing spaces, etc. They didn't do a very good job of proofreading the e-book version.

This was a great comprehensive look at Faberge's life, his work, and his relationship with the Russian Imperial Family. After Alexander III first began the tradition of giving a Faberge egg to his wife every Easter, Faberge's skill and attention to detail flourished each year. Upon Alexander's death, his son Nicholas II would continue the custom, commissioning elaborate eggs for both his mother and his wife. Faber's book details many of these imperial eggs, and traces their histories through the revolution, through the century, and around the world. This book also illustrates the decadence of pre-revolutionary czarist Russia. Faberge's workshops created the most ornate and sought-after jewelry and trinkets in the world until WWI and the communist uprising devastated any market for such frivolities. Regardless, Faberge's eggs were impressive creations, each unique and spectacular in their craftsmanship and originality.

I love to look at Faberge eggs. I'll never own one, but I can appreciate the workmanship that goes into them. I was excited about this book thinking it would be on a par with The Arcanum, in which Ms. Gleeson explains how porcelain claimed such fame. Was I wrong. Sure, this book has its moments, but once the family is dispersed following the Russian Revolution, it becomes so much chaffe in the winds. Perhaps that's the entire story and my expectations were too high. I just was hoping for more.

you will like this book. it also contains great historical photos and a lot of useful information. it would also make an ideal present. after reading it i bought one for my friend in austria.

Tony Faber has closely woven the story of the Russian Imperial family with the fabulous Easter Eggs made for the czarinas by the workshops of Carl Fabergé ( of french huegenot descent ) in St Petersburg. Each egg is fitted into the story of the events and love lives of the czarinas - their children their background and the great love that existed between the Czars and their originally protestant european brides - all closely linked - of course- to our own Queen Victoria in one way or anothe.

Eggcellent book and service

Love reading anything about the last Tsar and Tsarina. This book adds to the collection

Like all books on Faberge there is extraordinary craftsmanship on show.