Russian Imperial Eggs

crayola supplies

Paint Brushes
Markers
Premier™ Tempera Paint
Model Magic®
No-Run School Glue
Glitter Glue

household supplies

recycled newspaper
toothpicks - wooden
paper towels
container(s) of water
decorative craft items

Why?

Imagine the splendor of Imperial Russia! Recreate this lavish era with a jeweled egg crafted in the style of Fabergé.

Steps

1. Imagine receiving a specially made, one–of-a-kind jeweled present every year. For Easter, Nicholas II, the last czar of the Russian empire, gave his wife and mother each such a gift, a bejeweled egg. Easter is an important holiday for the Russian Orthodox people and these eggs reflected that significance. Made by the French goldsmith and jeweler, Peter Carl Fabergé, the eggs were gilded, enameled gold. Besides jewels, often they had small portraits of family members or religious figures drawn on them. Some even opened with more jewels and figurines inside.
2. The Russian Revolution in 1917 put an end to this lavish gift giving. Although similar eggs are made today, there were not many Imperial eggs made and most of those are in a collection in Moscow. Twelve are on display in New York City. Queen Elizabeth of England is a big collector too. Here’s one way to make your own bejeweled egg.
3. Design your egg. Form Crayola Model Magic® into an egg. Air-dry it at least 24 hours.
4. Add embellishments to your egg with Crayola Glitter Glue. Attach decorative craft items such as jewels and foil. Many eggs included the Czarina’s monogram or an important date.
5. . Make a stand. Roll Model Magic around three toothpicks. Air-dry the legs.
6. Cover your art area with newspaper. Paint the legs with gold Crayola Premier™ Tempera and brushes. Paint the bottom of the egg if you wish. Air-dry the paint.
7. Secure the legs to the egg with Crayola School Glue. Air-dry before setting up a glittering display with your classmates’ eggs for all to see! Who will receive your beautiful gifts?

adaptations

Learn about the process of enameling. Study other cultures that make enamelware. How do they use this process? On what?

Many cultures adorn eggs, including ostrich eggs. Design a display of international egg artistry, such as Ukranian eggs.

Assessment: Consider the intricacy and uniqueness of each decorated egg.

benefits

Students gather information about the Imperial Court of Czarist Russia.

Students study the iconography of Fabergé eggs produced for the Czar.

Students reproduce a decorative egg in the Fabergé style.

grades

Grades 1 to 3
Grades 4 to 6
Grades 7 to 12

subjects

Social Studies
Visual Arts

time

30 to 60 minutes
Multiple Sessions

curriculum standards links

US: Research U.S. Standards
UK: Research UK Standards
Canada: Research Canada Standards

safety guidelines

Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—

Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Crayola Washable Paints—Not for use as body/face paint.

Wood—By its nature, wood is rough and may contain splinters or sharp points