Fabergé's Winter Egg auctioned for a record sum

One of Fabergé's rarest eggs, the so-called Winter Emperor's Egg, broke a price record at auction with a value of 26.03 million euros.

The jewel, which Tsar Nicholas II had made for his mother Maria Feodorovna in 1913, is carved from crystal and decorated with platinum snowflakes and diamonds.

The interior conceals a miniature bouquet of flowers, a typical "surprise" of Fabergé's work. Christie's, which has already sold the egg in 1994 and 2002 (most recently for €8.26 million), estimated its value at over €22.38 million.

Until now, the Rothschild egg, sold for $18.5 million, held the record. The auction is part of Christie's annual "Classic Week," which runs through Dec. 11.

(reuters, mja)