Existing comment:
Gatchina Palace Egg:
Russian (St. Petersburg), 1901
Tsar Nicholas II presented this egg to his mother, the dowager empress Marie Fedorovna, on Easter 1901. The egg opens to review as a surprise a miniature gold replica of the palace at Gatchina, a village 30 miles southwest of St. Petersburg. Built for Count Grigorii Orlov, the palace was acquired by Tsar Paul I and served as the winter residence for Alexander III and Marie Fedorovna. |