Jane Morgan’s penny coin sculpture is one of more than 260 eggs scattered across all five boroughs (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
From 1885 to 1916, Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé and his company created fifty lavish, jewel-encrusted Easter eggs for the imperial royal family, primarily as gifts the emperor could present to the empress. Over the years, mystery has surrounded some of the eggs, eight of which appear to have gone missing. In tribute to its famed history, Fabergé is sponsoring the Big Egg Hunt, “hiding” more than 260 large, artist-designed eggs across all five boroughs. As you come upon the eggs, you can use an app to claim them, making you eligible for the weekly prize of a Fabergé Zenya jeweled egg pendant. (The just-released map is sure to help.) The eggs are also being sold at auction (starting at $500), benefiting Studio in a School, which teaches the visual arts to underserved New York City children, and Elephant Family, which protects Asian elephants and their habitats. Among the artists and designers who have crafted eggs for the occasion are Pat Steir, Bruce Weber, Carolina Herrera, Peter Beard, April Gornik, Clifford Ross, Martha Stewart, Peter Max, Diane von Furstenberg, D*FACE, Julian Schnabel, Bruce High Quality Foundation, Donald Baechler, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Leo Villareal, Mary Mattingly, Tommy Hilfiger, Betty Woodman, Robert Wilson, Cynthia Rowley, and Ralph Lauren; the hottest eggs so far are Zaha Hadid’s “Liquid Skyline” at $27,000, Tracey Emin’s untitled sculpture at $14,000, the Prince’s Drawing School’s “The Royal Egg — Humpty Dumpty” at $13,000, Marc Quinn’s untitled orb at $11,000, Emma Clegg’s “B” at $8,000, and Jon Koon’s “The Golden Child” at $7,000. Oh, and then there’s Jeff Koons’s colorful seal egg balancing a silver ball, which is estimated as “priceless” and can currently be had for a mere $140,000. If those prices are a bit too steep for you, there are also postcards for $10, T-shirts for $30, tote bags for $25, miniature eggs for $45, and ostrich eggs for $130. On April 18, all of the large eggs will be nesting together at Rockefeller Center, followed by the grand auction at Sotheby’s on April 22.