theOn February 26, 2020, Ms. Kitts, an educational leader at the VMFA who has a Russian history degree gave a very interesting lecture about the Faberge Egg Obsession. She discussed the romance, revolution, and history behind this Russian decorative arts. It stemmed from a doomed love story, fabulous craftsmanship and search for lost treasures. The story began when Nicholas II gave an egg as an easter gift to his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, who took a liking to Faberge's work. His workmasters used to use different colors of gold, many diamonds, and rubies, and rock crystals to create beautiful, delicate, and small eggs which were passed around Russian novelty. In fact, they are now work many millions of dollars. Lilian Thomas Pratt was the person who bought the original egg from a collector and gave it to the VMFA. I thought it was very interesting about the story behind such beautiful creations and how it illustrates an age in Russia that most people know very little about just because of the persona that Russia has today. The story that 7 eggs are still missing, and the journey that these works had as they were passed down from generation to generation is fascinating. It also shows the importance of these Faberge pieces and the uniqueness of his creations. The Romanov dynasty truly begins to invest in Faberge's workshop because the Empress of Russia being the first to buy a pair of cufflinks, Faberge's work became quite successful due to her family. Overall, Faberge was a brilliant businessmen who hired the very best workers to create beautiful eggs which have an amazing historical background to them. I personally thought that this was a very special lunchtime lecture because of the intensity behind the stories of the artwork she was discussing. Also, I think that it was a refreshing change from standard paintings, I had forgotten about the type of art that requires such a fine detail with respect to jewelry and metal. I also thought that the fact that the eggs had prizes inside of them made them more exciting, and the whole mindset that these eggs are one of kind spurred the frenzy that surround them today. Amazing lecture, I loved learning about the history behind the eggs as well as the detailed Russian craft.
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June 2021
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