History of the EGG Art

The egg was an important symbol for many early civilizations representing fertility and rebirth.   It was commonly believed that the universe developed from a great egg and that the halves of it's shell corresponded to heaven and earth. The egg was also connected with the springtime fertility rituals of many pre-Christian and Indo-European peoples, like the old Cretans, and both the Egyptians and the Persians made a practice of coloring eggs in the spring.

In Christianity, the egg is a symbol of resurrection, representing the emergence of Christ from His tomb to everlasting life.  One Christian story is said that Mary brought eggs to the Romans while Christ was on the cross in hopes they would let him down.  She laid the eggs at Christ's feet and his blood colored the eggs red.  Another story speaks of Mary going to Cesar with a white egg in hand following the death of Jesus.  At this banquet she exclaimed “Christ is risen”, Cesar laughed and said that Christ rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand turning red while she held it.  Before he finished speaking the egg in her hand turned a bright red and she continued proclaiming the gospel to the entire imperial house.

In Greece it is a tradition to bake a greek bread which is only baked on Good Friday.  A whole red egg is place in the center of the bread prior to baking.  This represents the blood of Christ.

In former Czechoslovakia and Hungary young girls would decorate eggs for their sweethearts intending to give the eggs as a token of their love and admiration rather than for religious reasons.  

Some of the most highly decorated Russian eggs were made by the European court jeweler Carl Faberge. The first was constructed in 1885 and he continued through the early 1900’s.  These eggs were made from precious materials, gold crystals, porcelain and priceless stones with concealed springs.  When the spring was released the contents of the egg would reveal wondrous surprises.  Faberge’s first imperial egg was commissioned by Tsar Alexander III  of Russia as an Easter surprise for this wife Maria Fyodorovna.

Another process in Poland, The Ukraine and Russia is Pysanka or Pisanka.  These are some very beautiful eggs. A process of layered brilliant Bakik dye, or natural dyes from plants, along with a writing tool called a kriska which uses beeswax, as ink.  After the layering of color and beeswax is completed, the beeswax is melted off with a candle and a beautiful brilliant design appears.  Symbols are written on these eggs to give good wishes then they are then brought to the church at Easter and blessed then given to family and friends for  good luck and peace.

Finnish folklore inspired a beautiful poem, The Kalevala, which Elias Lonnrot put together in the 19^th century:

One egg’s lower half transformed

And became the earth below,

And its upper half transmuted and became the sky above;

From the yolk the sun was made,

Light of day to shine upon us;

From the white the moon was formed,

Light of night to gleam above us;

All the colored brighter bits

Rose to the stars of heaven

And the darker crumbs changed into

Clouds and cloudlets in the sky.

As you can see, eggs have long been the inspirational canvas for many beautiful works of art and some much loved traditions.  There are many forms of egg art today and many people all over the world join me in appreciating the egg's wonderful history.  The eggs you see on my site are hand carved, and (unless otherwise noted) hand painted with extreme attention to detail.  Many hours and much care have gone into each and every piece of art.  With proper care and handling you and your family can enjoy owning these works of art for many generations to come.