I guess I’ll alternate between flower and Fabergé masterpieces in this gallery. Unfortunately, I had to take the Fabergé pictures surreptitiously, with my iPhone and in poor light, so most of them didn’t turn out too well. Still, it was a beautiful exhibit so I want to share a few of the items on display.

"The stunning midnight blue Twelve Monograms Easter Egg [crafted by the House of Fabergé in 1896] is decorated with the Cyrillic initials AIII, for Tsar Alexander III, and MF, for his wife, Maria Fedorovna. These diamond-studded monograms – surmounted by crowns on each of the egg’s twelve panels – provide a simple yet elegant decoration against the blue enamel. ... Maria received this egg in 1896 from her son, Nicholas."

A picture of it taken under better conditions with a “real” camera is at http://www.pbase.com/image/165680895

*****

We returned once again to the Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, the home of Marjorie Merriweather Post, legendary heiress of General Foods, diplomat, philanthropist and distinguished collector of French and Russian art and jewelry. We wanted to see a Fabergé exhibit going on there and also enjoyed walking through the grounds and hothouse to and from.

Sunbathing, posted earlier: