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Presented by Tsar Nicholas II to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria
Feodorovna, on Easter 1900, this egg in the form of a Baroque table clock
is enameled violet over a guilloché zigzag ground. Embellished with ornate
motifs, the diamond-set dial is wreathed by seed pearls and set against a
panel of white enamel enveloped by gold foliage, pearls and diamonds. If
the Dowager Empress wanted to reveal the hidden treasure within, she
simply needed to press the button at the top rear of the egg to open the
circular gold grille and a naturally plumed cockerel would emerge crowing
and flapping its wings.
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