Napoleonic Egg
Cat. no. 70
Workmaster: Henrik Wigström (1862-1923)
Miniatures by Vassily Zuiev (born 1870)
St. Petersburg, 1912
Gold, enamel, diamonds, platinum, ivory, velvet, silk
New Orleans Museum of Art: Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation Loan

Made for Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, this egg commemorates the centenary of Russia's victory over the armies of Napoleon in 1812. Maria served as honorary colonel for the six regiments depicted in watercolor, and her monogram decorates the back of each panel. These panels form a screen whose hinges are ax-topped fasces, a warlike emblem in use since Roman times. Double-headed eagles and battle trophies embellish the green shell. Like enormous history-painting cycles from earlier centuries, the Napoleonic Egg celebrates past royal glories while appealing to Russian patriotism at a time when the Romanov dynasty once again faced the uncertainties of war. After the fall of the Romanovs, the egg was sold in 1930 by the new Soviet government and eventually found its way into Mrs. Gray's collection.

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