A Russian porcelain Easter egg, probably the Imperial Porcelain Factory, St. Petersburg, circa 1880. Decorated with sprigs of cornflowers, including blossoms & buds, against a pale pink ground. Height: 4 1/8 in. (10.4 cm).

During the reign of Nicholas I (r. 1825-1855), the Imperial Porcelain Factory vastly expanded the available color palette. The introduction of lead-based fluxes & oxide tints allowed for an astonishing number of new colors & shades:Spring’s new blossoms were a natural subject for decoration on the Imperial factory’s Easter eggs & the increased range of colors & tints allowed for detailed floral studies & copies of botanical prints. Botanical prints tended to show all stages of development, from bud to full blossom, which the designers seem to have used as inspiration for their designs on eggs like this.