Theo - Faberge - Eggs - St. Petersburg Collection - Faberge Descendants - Objet d'art - Faberge History
The late 15th and early 16th centuries marked a period of revolutionary exploration as Man daringly took to the Seas. The astounding discoveries of these journeys led to the publication of a new map of the world in 1507 which, for the first time in history, incorporated the name AMERICA while also marking an all water route to the Far East. Thus was born a New World and Theo Fabergé celebrates the 500th anniversary of this momentous occasion with his Birth of a New World Egg.
This historic map by Martin Waldseemüller is reproduced by hand on the egg’s 18 karat gold shell, similar to the copy which was purchased by the United States Library of Congress for $12 million in 1999 after an almost 90-year quest to obtain the scroll. The finial adorning the top of the shell is modeled after two heraldic cartographers’ dolphins, their faces styled in the manner of the major winds shown on the Waldseemüller Map.
The bronze egg base continues the design’s epic themes as two of the greatest explorers are depicted in miniature: Amerigo Vespucci and Vasco da Gama. Dressed in the robes and Christian jeweler of their epoch, they stand heroically astride the book of the era which reported their discoveries – the Mundus Novus – its page indicated by a golden marker embellished with the signature Fabergé swags and set with a brilliant diamond.
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