A Russian porcelain Easter egg, Imperial Porcelain Factory, late 19th century. The pale peach ground egg decorated with gilt crosses painted in imitation of gem-set gold, the upper aperture surrounded by a stylized gilt band reminiscent of the borders of Slavonic manuscripts. Height: 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm).

Designers at the Imperial Porcelain Factory, particularly Sergei Romanovich Romanov & M. Matveev, looked to the interlace ornament on Old Slavonic manuscripts as a source for colorful design on Easter eggs made around 1900. On their designs, seeTamara Kudriavtseva & Harold Whitbeck, Russian Imperial Porcelain Easter Eggs. Русские императорские фарфоровые пасхальные яйцa (London: Merrell, 2001), pp. 22-25, 229.