A crystal Fabergé egg crafted for Russian royalty is expected to sell for more than $26 million

By JILL LAWLESS LONDON AP A rare crystal and diamond Faberg egg crafted for Russia s ruling family before it was toppled by revolution is going up for auction valued at more than million pounds million Related Articles Iran boycotting World Cup draw citing visa restrictions for soccer functionaries Greta Thunberg banned from Venice after surroundings protesters dye Grand Canal green Russia outlaws Human Rights Watch as crackdown on dissent continues Death toll from floods in Thailand reaches as receding water reveals widespread damage Hungary s Orb n seeks more Russian oil and gas at Kremlin talks with Putin Christie s auction house says the Winter Egg is just one of seven of the opulent ovoids remaining in private hands It will be offered for sale at Christie s London headquarters on Tuesday The -inch tall egg is made from finely carved rock crystal covered in a delicate snowflake motif wrought in platinum and tiny diamonds It opens to reveal a removable tiny basket of bejewelled quartz flowers symbolizing spring Margo Oganesian the head of Christie s Russian art department likened it to a luxurious Kinder Surprise chocolate The Winter Egg is a superb example of craft and design the Mona Lisa for decorative arts Oganesian announced One of just two created by female designer Alma Pihl the egg was commissioned by Czar Nicholas II for his mother Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna as an Easter present in Pihl s other egg is owned by Britain s royal family The Winter Egg by Faberge is displayed at Christie s auction rooms in London Thursday Nov it is expected to sell for in excess of million UK Pounds when it is auctioned on Dec AP Photo Kirsty Wigglesworth The Winter Egg by Faberge is displayed at Christie s auction rooms in London Thursday Nov it is expected to sell for in excess of million UK Pounds when it is auctioned on Dec AP Photo Kirsty Wigglesworth The Winter Egg by Faberge is displayed at Christie s auction rooms in London Thursday Nov it is expected to sell for in excess of million UK Pounds when it is auctioned on Dec AP Photo Kirsty Wigglesworth Head of Department Margo Organesian looks towards the Winter Egg by Faberge as it is displayed at Christie s auction rooms in London Thursday Nov it is expected to sell for in excess of million UK Pounds when it is auctioned on Dec AP Photo Kirsty Wigglesworth Show Caption of The Winter Egg by Faberge is displayed at Christie s auction rooms in London Thursday Nov it is expected to sell for in excess of million UK Pounds when it is auctioned on Dec AP Photo Kirsty Wigglesworth Expand Craftsman Peter Carl Faberg and his company created more than of the eggs for Russia s imperial family between and each elaborately unique and containing a hidden surprise Czar Alexander III started the tradition by presenting an egg to his wife each Easter His successor Nicholas II extended the gift to his wife and mother The Romanov royal family ruled Russia for years before it was ousted by the revolution Nicholas and his family were executed in Bought by a London dealer for pounds when the cash-strapped Communist leadership sold off specific of Russia s artistic treasures in the s the egg changed hands several times It was concluded lost for two decades until it was auctioned by Christie s in for more than million Swiss francs million at the time It sold again in for million Now it is expected to surpass the record million paid at a Christie s auction for another Faberg egg created for the Rothschild banking family There are surviving imperial Faberg eggs the bulk in museums