GUEST: This came down through my father's side of the family. My great-great-grandfather was one of the original Müller Quartet members, and they played for the Duke of Brunswick, they played all over Germany, and then in the 1840s, they started expanding their tour a bit and going throughout Europe. They were invited to play for the Tsar of Russia in 1845. They played for Tsar Nicholas the First. And this was a gift that they received from Tsar Nicholas the First in 1845.
APPRAISER: So that's the family history, that's the provenance, is a gift from Tsar Nicholas the First.
GUEST: That’s the family history. Yes. Yes
APPRAISER: Okay. And you guys believe that?
GUEST: Yeah, that's the story that's come down.
APPRAISER: Okay, let's start out with what we know. Okay, this is a painted and gilded porcelain egg. Now, it is Russian, and it is indeed made by the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St. Petersburg. They're unmarked, but I've asked my colleagues around and we're pretty certain it's made by the Imperial Porcelain Factory. And the big question is the date. Now, 1840s was when he was there.
GUEST: 1845 was when they played in Moscow.
APPRAISER: That's very typical that you find this type of egg that was actually used as a gift from this time period. Now, you were very curious about what it depicts here.
GUEST: Yes, very much so.
APPRAISER: I believe it's a depiction of St. Alexandra at prayer.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Very typical with the crown and the ermine cloak. Now, the reason we have to guess is because typically, the name of the saint is actually painted across the bottom, but it's not there. And there's something that's really unusual that we find on Russian eggs like this and throughout Europe in this time period, is this wonderful gilded border. And as you look to the outside of it, you've got this white line that pulls the whole cartouche out of it and really makes the painting pop. It's very finely painted. And on the back, we have a very nicely burnished cypher, and it's a beautiful sunburst and a nice triangular cypher with Cyrillic in it. We don't know what the initials are, but with a little additional research, we would be able to find out what they are.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: So very common to also have the silk ribbon that runs through it. It's just a delightful little egg. Have you ever had this appraised?
GUEST: No.
APPRAISER: Any idea?
GUEST: It never really left the house.
APPRAISER: Okay, never allowed to leave the house. Never allowed to leave the house until today. Well, at auction today, I would expect that this would bring around $8,000.
GUEST: Wow. That's amazing. (laughs) That is amazing.
