History and Culture: The Imperial Porcelain Easter Eggs Exhibition in Moscow

The State Historical Museum (Moscow) presents an exhibition of imperial porcelain Easter eggs. The show is timed for the Easter Day.

A small, but exceptionally valuable porcelain Easter eggs collection of the XVIII - beginning of XX century, connected with the history of the House of Romanov is held at the funds of the Historical Museum.

Dmitry Ivanovich Vinogradov made his first porcelain eggs to Easter holiday of 1749, in the first months after he had invented the Russian porcelain. Since that time, porcelain eggs gifting has become one of the essential rituals of the festive court etiquette. Since the reign of Emperor Nicholas the First, everyone who was honored to bring their Easter salutation and to exchange a triple kiss with the Russian emperor, got out of his hands the porcelain Easter egg.

Displayed are about 50 exhibits, each of which is a piece of aesthetic value, as well as a source of rich historical significance.

The eggs paintings replicate the samples of Russian religious paintings of the XIX century, the old school masterpieces, and incorporate floral ornament. The adornment of the museum's collection is the egg depicting the image of St. Mary Magdalene with a red egg in hand, rendered basing on the pattern of a painting by Viktor Vasnetsov for the Saint Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev. The exhibition concludes with a series of Easter eggs with the monogram of Emperor Nicholas the Second, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna with double-headed eagle and the St. George ribbons, issued to the last two Easter holidays in reign of the House of Romanov, that came to the war 1915 and 1916 years. Such eggs were purposely meant for a giving away in the Easter triple kiss exchange with the lower ranks of military units and at the fronts, and with the wounded at the field hospitals.