Created in their day expressly for the Russian tsars, they are highly prized and of great value.
German investigators have discovered several art objects and jewels of dubious origin and presumably of high value during the search of the properties of Russian oligarch Alischer Usmanov next to the exclusive Bavarian lake of Tegernsee, last Wednesday. Among them four exclusive Easter eggs attributed to the Tsar’s jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé, as revealed by Spiegel Online. Authorities are now investigating their authenticity. Fabergé eggs were created by the eponymous goldsmith beginning in the late 19th century for the Russian royal house. They are shaped like an Easter egg, approaching the size of an ostrich, and richly adorned with gold, diamonds, and pearls. The first were commissioned by Tsar Alexander III at the Fabergé jewelry and workshop in Saint Petersburg.
Its value is difficult to calculate. The last one that was publicly put up for sale, the so-called “Rothschild’s Egg”, was auctioned by Christie’s in 2007 for around 12.5 million euros. Most are on display in museums, but many fakes are also in circulation. Fabergé created a total of 52 imperial eggs, 7 goblet-shaped eggs and 4 custom-made eggs. The Kremlin keeps 10 of them. Some are in private collections and 6 are missing. Those that the Russian oligarch allegedly possessed have now appeared in one of his three residences in the German town of Rottach-Egern, during the search carried out by prosecutors and members of the Federal Office of Criminal Investigation.
Usmanov is suspected by the German authorities of tax fraud, money laundering and violating the sanctions imposed against Russia by the West after the invasion of Ukraine. Very close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and a figure on the list of Russian citizens sanctioned by the European Union, he is being investigated for avoiding paying taxes in Germany, despite regularly residing in this country since 2014. Usmanov fled in March, shortly after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, from Bavaria to Uzbekistan. His properties in the European Union, three villas and a luxury yacht, among other things, were seized for supporting the Putin regime. His luxury residence in Bavaria is still owned by the oligarch, but he cannot rent or sell it.
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