The Orange Tree Egg. The gold tree stands in a white quartz tub applied with gold trellis and green laurel swags suspended from rubies filled with hammered gold soil. The tub stands on a nephrite base with four nephrite posts at the corners connected by swags of green enamel leaves and pearl. The tree is decorated with finely engraved nephrite leaves, citrine, amethyst, ruby and champagne diamond 'berries' and white enamel flowers with diamond-set pistils. It conceals a gold winding mechanism. When triggered by a key, a portion of the foliage at the top of the tree rises and a feathered nightingale emerges singing while moving its head, wings, and beak. When the melody ends, the bird disappears automatically - signed Fabergé, date 1911, height: 11 3/4 inches (29.8 cm)
Provenance: Presented by Tsar Nicholas II to the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna on Easter 1911; Anon. Sale: Sotheby's, London, July 10, 1947 (L 1,650); Wartski, London; A.G. Hughes, England; Arthur E. Bradshaw; W. Magalow; Maurice Sandoz, Switzerland; A La Vieille Russie, Inc., New York; Mildred Kaplan, New York (purchased Forbes in 1966 for $35,000)

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