Faberge Easter eggs, Russian Tea Room, Rouge at Grand Palais

I'm not ready to drop the eggs yet. And Easter is still 11 days away.

This is the "Imperial Hen" (1885) made by PETER CARL FABERGE for Czar Alexander to give to the Czarina as a surprise Easter gift. Inside the hen was a replica crown and small ruby egg, both lost.

Paris is full of enormous chocolate hens at the moment. No rubies within but full of miniature chocolate fish and foil eggs. France may be the only country I know that has goodies inside their Easter chocolate molds. Tell me if I'm wrong. 

Shake any French chocolate egg of any size (this giant is from FOUCHER on 13 rue du Bac) and it will rattle.

The jeweled "Imperial Coronation Easter egg" is rather small comparatively made in 1897. The crossed pattern referenced the robe worn by the czarina at her coronation.These delicate FABERGE eggs could take up to a year to create.

Its covered with diamond and rubies. Inside an exact replica of the coach the czarina rode in. It was sold to publisher Malcolm Forbes in 1979 for around 2 million dollars. The Forbes collection of 9 Faberge eggs, rare toys, and motorcycles etc. was displayed in a town house on 5th Avenue and West 13th street. I lived a few blocks away and often stopped in for a look at the rotating exhibitions.

Later I did menu art for the Russian Tea Room. They had their own collection of Faberge-styled eggs like this tree in the ballroom. So I seem to be joined at the hip to Faberge. Especially after eating all the  Lindt chocolate bunnies. And one of their small Lindor eggs (I just gobbled down the last egg) has a Faberge-style pattern on the blue foil. FYI its dark chocolate ganache inside.

Forbes amassed a huge collection of Faberge pieces, not just 12 imperial eggs. His goal; to own more Faberge than the Soviet government. After his death his family put the collection up for auction at Christies in 2004. Russian billionaire oligarch, Victor Vekselberg swooped in and bought everything pre-auction for the presumed sum of $100,000,000. They are now on view in the St. Petersburg Armour museum, quite far from 13th street in Greenwich Village.

On right now an exposition ROUGE,GRAND PALAIS a collection of Soviet artworks made during the revolution. Desperate for money to support the new regime, the Bolsheviks sold off priceless artworks belonging to the imperial art collections. Armand Hammer was used as a middleman and brought over artifacts to sell in New York department stores. 

What a long convoluted story! All from eating chocolate Easter bunnies.Thank you for reading and sharing Paris breakfasts. Subscription letters 💌 maps and watercolors are in my Etsy shop. 

From 🇫🇷Paris 💋with love ❤️Xxx🐻