Presented by Czar Nicholas II to his wife the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna on Easter 1899, the elegance and grandeur of a Louis XVI clock make this one of Faberge's most distinctive eggs. The Bouquet of Lilies Egg also referred to as The Madonna Lily Egg, is covered in yellow-gold enamel guilloche accented in 24K gold and divided into panels with twelve strips of rose-cut crystals.
An opaque white enamel ribbon dial divides the egg and is inlaid with twelve crystal-set Roman numerals. On the origninal egg, a diamond-set bow and arrow indicated the time as the Roman numerals revolved around the perimeter of the egg. In place of a revolving clock, this museum reproduction is a musical egg that plays the Anniversary Waltz.
The egg, supported by golden scrolls, forms a vase crowned with a bouquet of delicately carved lilies (symbols of purity and innocence)and green leaves on golden stems. The pistils of the flowers are set with three crystals. The bouquet is surrounded by a ring of red and yellow roses (symbols of love). The egg sits on a rectangular base of yellow-gold enamel guilloche accented with gold and the date 1899 in crystals.
The egg was kept in the study of Her Imperial Majesty Alexandra Fedorovna at the Winter Palace (now the Hermitage Museum) in Saint Petersbrug. The Madonna Lily Clock Egg was never sold. Confiscated by the Kerensky provisional government in 1917, it was transferred to the Moscow Armory Museum where it has remained since 1927 and is one of the ten Faberge Imperial Easter Eggs which remained in Russia.
10"H The royal pictures can be replaced with your own special photos.
