Civilization in an Egg

BY EVAN OLWELL

What is small, white, oval and has a miniature replica of the Russian Gatchina Palace inside? You are not mistaken if you initially thought of an egg. Of course, the Gatchina Palace Fabergé Egg is not your average grade A large white egg that you would buy in a carton at the supermarket. Fabergé Eggs are anything but average. They are, in a word, sublime.

The egg in question was made by Mikhail Perkhin in 1901 for Tsar Nicholas II, who gave it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Marie Fedorovna, as an Easter present. Mikhail Perkhin was a work master in the House of Fabergé, the jewelry firm started by Gustav Fabergé, a German jeweler who settled in St. Petersburg. It was Gustav’s son, Peter Carl Fabergé, who was the initial creator of the highly celebrated Fabergé Eggs.

The detail of the Gatchina Palace egg is stunning. At a mere three inches tall, the cannons, windows, trees and flag of the palace are clearly distinguishable. The exterior of the egg is skillfully crafted of gold, enamel, silver-gilt, diamonds, rock crystal and seed pearls. These precious materials are individually treasured, but using them together to create a single object makes them priceless. However, what makes the Fabergé Egg so valuable is not the monetary price of the materials, but the skill and mastery of craftsmanship used to create it.

According to Sir Edmund Burke, “The sublime is the strongest emotion which the mind is capable of feeling.” In his book Return to Order, John Horvat II defines the sublime as: “those things of transcendent excellence that cause souls to be overawed by their magnificence.” These are moments when panoramas, works of art, architecture or even excellent cuisine provoke a jaw-dropping and enthusiastic “Wow!” to escape from our lips. A Fabergé Egg provokes the same reaction.

Why make something so precious in the form of an egg? The answer is simple: this is a fruit of Christian civilization. Civilization works precisely in this manner. It takes that which is ordinary and makes it extraordinary. Civilization uplifts and elevates even the most common and practical aspects of life. In the Middle Ages, Christian civilization flourished throughout Europe, and gave rise to the establishment of universities, the construction of grandiose cathedrals and the end of slavery. It goes to show that, because of Christian civilization, even a form as plain as an egg can be made into a treasure worthy of a king. ■

The Gatchina Palace Fabergé Egg was made by Mikhail Perkhin in 1901 for Tsar Nicholas II, who gave it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Marie Fedorovna, as an Easter present.

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