Faberge's Eggs

This is the story of Fabergé's Imperial Easter eggs - of their maker, of the tsars who commissioned them, of the middlemen who sold them and of the collectors who fell in love with them. It's a story of meticulous craftsmanship and unimaginable wealth, of lucky escapes and mysterious disappearances, and ultimately of greed, tragedy and devotion. Moreover, it is a story that mirrors the history of twentieth-century Russia - a satisfying arc that sees eggs made for the tsars, sold by Stalin, bought by Americans and now, finally, returned to post-communist Russia. There is also an intriguing element of mystery surrounding the masterpieces. Of the fifty 'Tsar Imperial' eggs known to have been made, eight are currently unaccounted for, providing endless scope for speculation and forgeries. This is the first book to tell the complete history of the eggs, encompassing the love and opulence in which they were conceived, the war and revolution that scattered them, and the collectors who preserved them.

Toby Faber was formerly Managing Director of the publishing house Faber & Faber. He was born in Cambridge in 1965, and now lives in London with his wife and daughter. His last book was Stradivarius, also published by Macmillan.

Section - i: Romanov family tree Section - ii: Fabergé family tree Introduction - iii: Introduction Chapter - 1: 'Christ is risen!' Chapter - 2: 'A precious as an egg on Christ's own day' Chapter - 3: 'A continuation of the long funeral ceremonies' Chapter - 4: 'Utterly different in character, habits and outlook' Chapter - 5: 'The warm and brilliant shop of Carl Fabergé' Chapter - 6: 'The ancestor who appeals to me least of all' Chapter - 7: 'We shall have to show dirty nappies' Chapter - 8: 'A good, religious, simple-minded Russian' Chapter - 9: 'The little one will not die' Chapter - 10: 'An unparalleled genius' Chapter - 11: 'Fabergé has just brought your delightful egg' Chapter - 12: 'Everything seems sad' Chapter - 13: 'Guard it well. It is the last' Chapter - 14: 'This is life no more' Chapter - 15: 'You will have all of it when I am gone' Chapter - 16: 'Determining their fate irrevocably in a few moments' Chapter - 17: 'Pick out gold, silver and platinum from the articles of minimal museum value' Chapter - 18: 'I know that May was passionately fond of fine jewellery' Chapter - 19: 'Department stores - try the department stores' Chapter - 20: 'Old civilisations put to the sword' Chapter - 21: 'Turn of the century trinkets' Chapter - 22: 'When you viewed his Fabergé collection, you were doing him a favour' Chapter - 23: 'He who dies with the most toys wins' Chapter - 24: 'Handle it and then question it; that thing is as right as rain' Chapter - 25: 'You can put all your eggs in one basket' Section - iv: Afterword Section - v: Appendix - Full listing of the Imperial eggs Chapter - vi: Glossary Section - vii: Notes Section - viii: Bibliography Index - ix: Index Acknowledgements - x: Acknowledgements