The great craftsman Carl Fabergé and his team made extraordinary eggs each Easter for the last two Empresses of Russia. Find out more about some of these amazing works of art, and then try colouring in your own version – or even have a go at decorating a real egg!

This basket of flowers is actually an Easter egg! It was given to the Russian Empress, Alexandra Feodorovna, in 1901 but would have taken at least a year for many different artists and craftsmen to make. The tiny ears of wheat move when there is the slightest vibration and the moss at the base of the flower bouquet is made of thousands of tiny strands of gold!

This is the most expensive Fabergé Easter egg ever made. It was made in 1914 and has a hidden ‘surprise’ inside - portraits of the five children of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The Empress discovered this surprise when she opened the egg on Easter morning.

It is called the ‘Mosaic Egg’ because the decoration is made from thousands of precious stones, including diamonds, rubies and sapphires, which are fitted into the egg-shaped, platinum cage, just like a mosaic.

Get creative

Take inspiration from these Imperial Easter eggs with the colouring and craft activities below.