A Fabergé egg, adorned with diamonds and once belonging to Russia’s imperial family, has fetched a record £22.9 million ($30.2 million) at auction in London.
Christie’s auction house confirmed that the Winter Egg, widely considered one of the most exquisite creations by the renowned jeweller, was acquired by an anonymous bidder on Tuesday.
Commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913 as a gift for his mother, the egg is embellished with an estimated 4,500 diamonds.
The previous auction record for a Fabergé egg was £8.9 million, set in 2007.
“Today’s result establishes a new world auction record for a work by Fabergé, underscoring the enduring significance of this masterpiece,” AFP news agency quoted Margo Oganesian of Christie’s as saying.
The 8.2cm (3.2in) high egg was crafted by Carl Fabergé, based on a design by Alma Theresia Pihl, one of only two female workmasters at the St Petersburg jewellery firm.
It is sculpted from rock crystal and ornamented with rose-cut diamonds and platinum snowflake designs.
The egg opens to reveal a miniature basket of white quartz flowers contained within.
The Fabergé house produced only 50 eggs for the Russian imperial Romanov family, and the Imperial Winter Egg is one of just seven remaining in private collections.
The others are either missing or held by institutions and museums.
The eggs were created from 1885 until Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate in 1917.