Encrusted with more than 3,000 diamonds, the world's most expensive Easter egg is being sold next month and experts believe it might crack the million mark at auction. The Winter Egg, produced by Carl Faberge and given by Russian Czar Nicholas II to his mother on Easter 1913, will be sold on April 19 at Christie's New York auction house. It previously sold for .6 million in November 1994 at Christie's Geneva. Faberge, jeweler to the Russian Imperial family, produced 50 eggs between 1885 and 1916 for Czars Alexander II and Nicholas II, with the Winter Egg the most precious, according to documents housed in the Russian State Archives. The Winter Egg is made of finely-carved, transparent rock crystal with engravings on the interior simulating ice crystals. The exterior is engraved and applied with platinum-mounted rose-diamond motifs and the egg sits on a detachable rock-crystal base. Contained within the egg is a detachable surprise -- a basket of delicate spring flowers, each carved from a single piece of white quartz fashioned with gold wire stem and stamens, jade leaves and green garnet centers. The original Faberge bill shows that the Czar was charged 24,600 rubles and detailed the composition of the egg: the body set with 1,300 rose diamonds, the borders with 360 brilliants and the small basket with 1,378 rose-diamonds. Alexis de Tiesenhausen, head of the Russian Department at Christie's, said the egg marked a special occasion. He said, "1913 was a very important year in Russia. It was the commemoration of three centuries of the Romanov Dynasty and all the imperial family was lavished with gifts and when Easter came up Faberge came up with a far more elaborate egg than he did in the years before." (Agencies) | 今年的复活节将会异常"耀眼"，因为世界上最昂贵的彩蛋即将与世人见面了。这枚镶嵌了3000多颗钻石的复活节彩蛋将于下个月被拍卖。据专家推测，它的价格将突破600万美元。 这枚昂贵的彩蛋叫做The Winter Egg，出自俄国皇家珠宝匠卡尔·费伯奇之手。1913年的复活节，俄国沙皇尼古拉二世曾将这枚珠宝作为复活节礼物送给他的母亲。而这件稀世珍宝将于4月19日在著名的Christie纽约拍卖行进行拍卖。1994年11月份这件珠宝曾经在Christie日内瓦拍卖行进行过竞拍，当时的成交价是560万美元。 根据俄国国家档案局提供的资料记载，卡尔·费伯奇在1885年到1916年间共先后为沙皇亚历山大二世和尼古拉二世制作过50枚复活节彩蛋，其中以这枚The Winter Egg最为珍贵。 这枚The Winter Egg堪称一件艺术珍品，它是由透明清澈的水晶雕刻而成的。内部刻有精美的冰晶雕刻，外部则镶有白金，上面嵌着玫瑰形钻石。彩蛋摆放在一个可以拆卸的水晶底座上。 彩蛋的里面还另有玄妙，让人叹为观止：在这枚小小的水晶蛋里面还有一个盛满精美花朵的花篮，每一朵花都是由一块白色的石英雕刻而成的，花茎和花蕊由金线制成，叶子由玉石制成，而叶子的中心则是绿色的石榴石。 费伯奇当初的账单表明这枚为沙皇制作的彩蛋在当时的价格是24600卢布，此外这张账单还详细标明了这枚彩蛋的制作材料：蛋身镶有1300颗玫瑰形钻石，边缘部位镶有360颗，内部花篮里则有1378颗玫瑰钻石。 Christie俄罗斯拍卖行的负责人亚历克西说，这枚彩蛋标志着俄罗斯历史上的一个特殊的时刻。 他说："1913年是俄罗斯历史上一个非常重要的年份。这一年正逢罗曼诺夫王朝（俄国封建王朝，始于1613年，1917年被俄国二月革命推翻）执政300年的周年纪念，皇室贵族之间流行互赠礼物。就在这一年的复活节，费伯奇向沙皇献上了这枚彩蛋，这枚彩蛋比他以往所献上的任何以每彩蛋都要精美的多。" (中国日报网站译) |
Updated: 2002-03-27 01:00
