Faberge's rare Winter Egg fetches record $30 million at auction

Faberge's The Winter Egg, considered one of his most beautiful creations, sold for nearly $30 million at auction Tuesday in London, smashing the sales record for the legendary jeweller of Imperial Russia.

Margo Oganesian, Christie's Head of Department, Fabergé & Russian Works of Art said "The winter egg is truly one of the rarest items that you can find. Fabergé created only 50 imperial Easter eggs for the Romanov family over the period of 31 years. And out of those 50, only 43 still exist, so seven are missing. Out of those 43, only seven left in private hands. So it just shows you how rare and how important the winter rag is. It's one of only seven imperial Easter eggs you can still, essentially, purchase for your collection."

The imperial eggs have enjoyed renewed interest on the art market in recent decades, mainly among wealthy Russians keen to acquire a piece of their country's history.