How many imperial Fabergé eggs were created and how many survive today?
Executive summary
The House of Fabergé produced a celebrated run of 50 Imperial Easter eggs for the Russian imperial family between 1885 and 1916; contemporary accounts and Fabergé’s own catalogue tradition treat that number as the canonical total [1] [2] [3]. Modern reporting and museum/auction statements place the number of surviving imperial eggs at between 43 and 44, with commonly cited figures of 43 surviving and “7 missing” or “7 in private hands,” while some specialist sources and encyclopedias say 44 are known in whole or in part [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. The official count: “50 imperial eggs” — what that means
The firm and Fabergé-related authorities consistently describe a series of 50 Imperial Easter eggs commissioned by Alexander III and Nicholas II from 1885 through the eve of the revolution (most sources use 1916 as the last presentation year) — a sequence produced as annual imperial gifts, sometimes two per year under Nicholas II (one for his mother, one for his wife) [1] [2] [3]. Britannica and the Fabergé company narrative place production across 1885–1916 [8] [9].
2. The survival gap: 43 or 44? Conflicting tallies in modern reporting
Mainstream media coverage tied to recent auctions and museum statements commonly reports 43 surviving Imperial eggs, noting seven remain missing or are privately held [6] [10] [11]. Other reference sources — including the widely used Wikipedia summary and some specialist researchers — state that 44 of the 50 are known to survive in complete or partial form, leaving the fate of the remainder unknown [5]. Both figures appear repeatedly in reputable outlets; the divergence reflects differing definitions (complete vs. partial survival, inclusion of eggs with only photographs or fragments) rather than a single clerical error [5] [4].
3. Why counts vary: definitions, fragments and “designed-but-unfinished” eggs
Scholars and journalists separate eggs on criteria that change totals: whether an egg survives intact, survives only in fragments or photographs, or was only designed or partially completed before 1917. For example, two designs (the Karelian Birch Egg and the Blue Tsesarevich Constellation Egg) were not delivered because of the Revolution; some lists include them as “intended” eggs while others do not, and archival photographs or invoices sometimes identify objects that no longer exist [5] [8]. Specialist research sites emphasize provenance debates and documentary uncertainties around some early eggs, which produces legitimate counting differences [12].
4. The missing seven (or six): how and when eggs disappeared
Multiple accounts trace the loss of imperial eggs to the chaos after 1917: Bolshevik seizure, subsequent sales abroad during the 1920s–30s and incomplete archival trails. Popular journalism and museum narratives often summarize this as “seven missing” and note that some eggs are only known from single black-and-white photographs or cabinet invoices, making their physical fate unclear [4] [13] [10]. Wartski and Fabergé researchers document individual cases — for instance the Third Imperial Egg and others — where photographs, invoices or cabinet lists are the only surviving evidence [14] [12].
5. Why the distinction matters now: market, museums and national heritage claims
The exact survival count affects provenance research, valuation and legal/historical claims. Auction houses and museums emphasize scarcity when marketing pieces — Christie’s and media around the Winter Egg cited 43 surviving imperial eggs as part of the narrative that drives record prices [7] [6]. Conversely, research-focused catalogues and encyclopedias aim for stricter definitions that can yield a slightly higher survival figure [5] [8]. That divergence reflects differing institutional agendas: commercial publicity versus scholarly completeness.
6. What sources say, and what remains unsettled
Authoritative public-facing sources — Fabergé’s official pages, museum summaries and recent auction coverage — treat the imperial series as 50 eggs and commonly report 43 survivors [1] [4] [6]. Encyclopedias and some specialist compendia record 44 known survivors or note partial survivals [5] [8]. Available sources do not mention a single universally accepted, up-to-the-minute roster agreed by all leading scholars that resolves the 43 vs. 44 discrepancy; the difference is driven by methodology [5] [12].
Conclusion (brief)
In reporting terms: the canonical historical total is 50 Imperial eggs made for the Romanovs [1] [2]. Modern tallies of survivors are either 43 (frequently used by museums and auction houses in 2025 coverage) or 44 (used in specialist reference works); the discrepancy stems from how partials, photographic records and unfinished designs are counted [6] [5] [12].