4, rue du Pas de la Mule – 75003 Paris tel. 01 42 78 42 81 25, rue Bonaparte – 75006 Paris tel. 01 40 51 76 64   Home:   www.peterhof.fr   Painted Eggs - History    Russian painted eggs are famous for the intricacy of their miniature paintings. Surprisingly, the origins of the Russian decorated egg can be traced back to a Frenchman, Carl Fabergé. Having left for Russia at the end of the XIX century, part of the wave of European artists and intellectuals drawn to a flourishing Russia by Tsar Alexander III, the jeweler won over the Tsarina with his elaborate gem-inlaid Easter egg. He encountered immediate success at the Imperial court and his decorative eggs soon became fashionable in palaces across Europe. Thus, it was by a surprising trick of destiny that an imported artist invented a Russian curiosity that would gain tremendous popularity far beyond the country's borders. Peterhof presents a selection of painted eggs, true pieces of art that combine Fabergé’s legacy with the work of the masters of miniature painting.    The eggs presented by the Peterhof Gallery are decorated with a great variety of images, such as the portrait of a famous person, the illustration of a fairy tale, an icon, a pastoral scene, or a city. The urban landscapes are particularly startling: the curved surface of the egg deforms the perspective to the point that dream-like visions are created of a none-the-less real sight. Size also varies a great deal, and the eggs range from majestic ornaments, to tiny delicate pendants.   Copyright PETERHOF 2004-2009