Peter Carl Faberge was a brilliant goldsmith and jeweller to the Tsars of Russia. He was born in St. Petersburg, Russia on May 18, 1846. In 1870 he inherited the family business which had been established by his father Gustav Faberge. Peter Carl Faberge gained royal recognition at the Pan Russian Exhibition at Moscow in 1882. He is renowned for his floral and animal depictions, figurines, jewellery, and his ability to transform the ordinary into fabulous objet d'art. His most famous work is the Imperial Easter Egg collection. Tsar Alexander III of Russia commissioned the first of the eggs in 1884. His successor Tsar Nicholas II continued the family tradition. Each egg contained a surprise which was never revealed to the Tsar or his family until Easter. When asked by the Tsar, Faberge would say only "Your Majesty will be satisfied". After the Russian Revolution, Peter Carl Faberge became an exile in Lausanne, Switzerland where he died in 1920. Luckily his work still survives. Of the 56 or more original Faberge Eggs, the whereabouts of 44 are currently known. The largest collection on display is at the Forbes Magazine Museum in New York City.