Faberge Eggs
Social Groups
There were four main social groups during the czarist rule in Russia. The czars, the nobles, the peasants, and the serfs. Czar­ was the highest ranking of the social groups in Russia at the time. Czar is the Russian word for emperor/ruler. It was the title that the emperors of Russsia used during the time of "Czarist Russia." The title of czar is passed down through a dynasty. The first Russian dynasty was the Rurik Dynasty. But, the first Russian ruler chosen to be czar was Michael Romanov. The last czar was Nicholas II, who ended czarism for good by abdicating in 1917. That is when communism began.
Boyar­ is pronounced "boi­er." The boyar was the second highest ranking social group in Russia. Boyars were warrior nobles. They were the ones who owned most the land and the serfs. The nobles were wealthy families that lived in great comfort. They spent most of their winters in Moscow or St. Petersburg. There they may have had up to 100 serfs working for them. The rooms were filled with guests almost every night. Very often there were dancing parties at which serfs played music late into the night. In the summer, the nobles traveled to their country estates, where they were attended by even more serfs. Peasants­ the peasants were the last ranking social group in "Czarist Russia." They were split into two different categories, the peasants and the serfs. The only difference between the two was the fact that the peasants weren't bound to the land like the serfs were. The peasants were free to move among the town and have their own house. They both had literally no rights. Serfs­The serfs were owned by the boyars who had complete control over them. The nobles bought and sold the serfs as needed. The female serfs usually cooked the food, while the male serfs served the nobles and all of their guests. Church
The Russian Orthodox Church supported the political and social order. The church was completely under the control of the czar by the time of Peter The Great. The government gave the church financial help and appointed Church officials. In return, the government expected the Church to closely ally itself with them, which it did. In the 1800's, priests reported anyone suspected of disloyalty to the police. Some or the secret police even dressed up as priests to hear confessions to get information. Yet the Church was still a place of great comfort for both the rich and the poor. Peasants were baptized as infants, married according to Church law, and received the Church's blessings as they lay dead. The Church held festivals and religious music which provided some happiness. Alexander III (born March 10, 1845, St. Petersburg, Russia — died Nov. 1, 1894, Livadiya, Crimea) Tsar of Russia (1881 – 1894). He assumed the throne after the assassination of his father, Alexander II. The internal reforms he instituted were designed to correct what he saw as the "too­liberal" tendencies of his father's reign. He supported Russian nationalism. His political ideal was a nation containing a single nationality, language, religion, and form of administration, and accordingly he instituted programs such as the Russification of national minorities in the Russian Empire and the persecution of non­Orthodox religious groups.
Czar Alexander III and his wife Czarina Maria Fedoravna celebrated their twentieth anniversary on Easter in 1885. Easter is the most celebrated holiday for those of the Russian Orthodox faith, marking a time of hope and renewed life. So it was that on this very special occasion the Czar wanted a very special gift to present to his wife.
The Czar commissioned a young jeweler, Peter Carl Faberge, whose creations were favored by his wife, to make a truly special gift. On Easter morning, Faberge delivered an enameled egg with a golden yolk. Inside the yolk was a golden hen, and inside the hen, a miniature royal crown of diamonds and a ruby egg. Maria was completely taken with the gift, which led the Czar to engage Faberge's services every Easter thereafter. The Czar only insisted that each Faberge egg be unique, and contain a surprise befitting of an Empress. Faberge came through, year after year, taking inspiration from the lives of the Czar and his wife. Peter Carl Fabergé also known as Carl Gustavovich Fabergé in Russia, May 30, 1846 – September 24, 1920) was a Russian Jeweler of French origin, best known for the famous Faberge Egg, made in the style of genuine Easter Eggs, but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more mundane materials.
1. Begin by poking 10 to 15 air pockets all the way through the ball of clay using your fingers. Then try to cover up the air pockets so no one can see them.
2. Wedge the clay to rid it of ALL air pockets. 3. If you have been successful 2 times in a row you may begin forming your pinch pot/s.
4. Form your clay into a ball. Stick your thumb into the ball of clay about 1/3 of the
way in. Curl your fingers around the ball of clay and little by little, pinch the clay starting at the bottom and work your way up the sides of the bowl and then level
and smooth out the top of the pinch pot. Repeat until the entire bowl is 1/3 of an
inch (tip of your pinky) from top to bottom.
5. Repeat for second pinch pot. The second pot should be a bit taller to create the
shape of an egg.
Attach a lip to one of the pinch pots (on the inside) so that the top interlocks with the bottom. Make sure that you score the clay, apply slip clay, press it firmly and the smooth the edges. The clay should still be 1/3 an inch thick.
Scoring­Cutting x's onto the 2 surfaces that are going to be attached.
Applying Slip Clay­dab the slip clay on to that it covers the scored areas.
Smooth the bottom of the lip to the inside surface. Make sure that the surface does not have a seam. When the project is smooth, balanced, stable, and 1/3 of an inch thick, begin by sketching where your carved imagesdetails will be. The surface should have a theme, pattern and be ornate.
Remember that 1/3 of the area should be:
Carved into the surface­object is scraped and then details are added
Raised from the surface­Thin layer of clay is attached by scoring, applying slip clay, and then the edge is smoothed and attached.
Doodled or drawn on­taking a tool and literally drawing or doodling into the clay.