An Historical Egg Sculpture & Its Modern Evolution

The Duchess of Marlborough Egg is the only large piece of sculpture ever made for an American by Peter Carl Fabergé. It was commissioned for railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt, who wed Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, the 9th Duke of Marlborough.

In 1902 the Duke and Duchess traveled to Moscow to visit the Russian royalty. While there, Peter Carl was commissioned to create this stunning Fabergé Egg.

Features of the Original Duchess of Marlborough Egg:

• The Duchess' monogram is embedded in the front panel of the base.
• The original egg is enameled salmon pink over a guilloché pattern that is engine turned into the gold egg.
• A diamond clad serpent winds around the stem.
• The serpent's tongue points to the time of day displayed on a white enamel band, marked with roman numerals.
• The entire sculpture is 9 1/4 inches tall.

The sculpture was donated to the American Friends of the Hermitage Museum and auctioned to help fund restorations of the famous namesake.

Forbes Inspires a Modern Recreation of the Russian Masterpiece

The Duchess of Marlborough Egg is the first egg sculpture bought by Malcolm Forbes, and remained in the Forbes Museum Collection until the 2004 sale of the entire works to Victor Vexelberg of Moscow. For an in depth review of this sculpture’s long and winding journey, visit Mieks.com, a world famous website dedicated to the artistry of Fabergé.

In 1998, Alexander Caldwell visited the Duchess Egg at the Forbes Museum in New York. Awe inspired, Alex decided it would be the model for the World Millennium contribution by his company, Vivian Alexander. The Vivian Alexander Duchess of Marlborough Egg was revealed at a public unveiling hosted by Forbes Magazine in January 2000, 98 years after Peter Carl Fabergé presented the original egg sculpture to the Duchess of Marlborough in 1902.

The Replica is Every Bit as Impressive as the Original

The Vivian Alexander Duchess of Marlborough egg stands 13 1/2 inches tall and is similar to the original in many respects:

• The egg is created from fine silver and adorned with a very fine, wavy guilloché pattern.
• The serpent is encrusted with hundreds of white sapphires.
• The white enamel clock band is lined with cultured seed pearls.
• The three-panel base is white enameled over an intricate three-dimensional rose pattern.
• The plate under the base is marked with the centennial MM and the Vivian Alexander inscription.
• The Vivian Alexander serial number and series number are also marked under the base. These identifying numbers are marked on the buyer's certificate and also stored in our computer vaults.

If you are a dyed-in-the-wool collector of Fabergé, or if you simply want to invest in fine art, have one of these fine replica eggs commissioned just for you, like royalty did almost 100 years ago. Contact us today.