Description:

- 3.5 Inches Tall on Stand x 1.5 Inches in Diameter
- 2.9 Inches Tall without Stand
- Weighs 0.23 LBS (0.32 LBS in Gift Box)
- Gold Plated Pewter with Hand Applied Enamel Finish
- Hinged Egg Opens with Secure Magnetic Closure
- Hand Painted with Raised Gold Tone Detailing
- Includes Padded Satin Lined Gift Box

Inspired by the historic 1898 Pelican Imperial Egg commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II as an Easter gift for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, this design honors a masterpiece created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the charitable “Offices of the Empress Maria,” established in 1797. Although engraved with the dates 1797–1897, historical invoices confirm it was presented at Easter in 1898 and cost 3,600 rubles.

Created under the supervision of master jeweler Peter Carl by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, the original egg was crafted in engraved red gold with diamonds, pearls, and delicate enamel in gray, pink, and opalescent blue. Topped with an enameled pelican symbolizing maternal devotion and self sacrifice, it opened not to a hidden object but to an extraordinary folding eight panel screen of ivory miniatures painted by Johannes Zehngraf, depicting institutions supported by the Empress.

After the Revolution, the egg was sold in 1930 and later bequeathed to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where it remains today. Echoing that meaningful heritage, this elegant interpretation showcases luminous enamel, gold tone detailing, and a sculpted pelican motif above. The hinged design opens smoothly and secures with a magnetic closure, offering space for a small keepsake while capturing the symbolism and historic grandeur of one of the most distinctive Imperial Easter eggs.