A Faberge egg commissioned by Emperor Nicholas II in 1913 is estimated to sell for more than £20 million at auction. The Winter Egg, which was commissioned by the emperor as an Easter gift for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, is described as one of the most lavish of Faberge’s imperial creations. The Winter Egg was acquired by antiques dealers Wartski of London for £450, and then sold to a British collector in 1934 for £1,500, before later being sold on to another. The Winter Egg is estimated to sell for more than £20 million (Christie's Images Ltd 2025/PA)It is finely carved in rock crystal and engraved on the interior with a frost design, while the exterior is applied with rose-cut diamond-set platinum snowflake motifs. “It would undoubtedly enhance the most distinguished collection.”The Winter Egg will be sold at auction during Christie’s Classic Week in London on December 2.