Re Reply #8: Since time for modifying my last post (Reply #8) has expired, I now add this as an addendum. There DOES exist an original Faberge photo of this egg being cradled in its ORIGINAL stand. The original stand has apparently been lost (probably before the sale) and the egg now has a different stand. The photo of the egg in the posting by "greglov3", Reply #5, shows the REPLACEMENT stand. The original stand was much more graceful with a "bowing-in" of the legs, with the feet being a modified "Greek Key/Meander" design. (The three eggs shown by "greglov3" are all from the Pratt collection.) Additionally, while it is impossible for an observer to see the interior of the lapis shell of the "Tsarevich Egg", I have read that rather than being carved from a solid block of lapis (as most say), that the shell is actually composed of carefully matched PIECES of lapis of the same source and color, superbly fitted and the major joints covered by the gold tracery work, as far as the design allowed. I do recall, at close range, seeing some fractures in the lapis, but presumed that they were natural (and well may be). AP
