Faberge egg is expected to sell for $12M to $18M

LONDON (AP) — A previously unrecorded Faberge egg valued at up to $18 million is going up for sale next month, Christie’s auction house said Thursday.

The pink enamel-and-gold egg is one of only a dozen designed to the highest standards for clients other than Russia’s ruling family. It has been in the Rothschild banking family since 1902, when it was given as an engagement present.

The egg contains a diamond-set cockerel that pops up every hour and flaps its wings, nods its head, and opens and closes its beak.

It will go on sale Nov. 28 at Christie’s in London, where it is expected to fetch from $12 million to $18 million. If it reaches the top price, it will break the existing record for a Russian artwork, the $9.6 million paid for a Faberge egg in New York in April 2002.

“The discovery of this masterpiece is the most exciting of my 40-year career,” said Anthony Philips, international director of silver and Russian works of art at Christie’s. “Although few examples exist, the Faberge egg is known around the world as one of the most impressive and exclusive works of art ever made.”