Mrs. Lillian Thomas Pratt

Avid Collector & Donor of Russian Decorative Art

VMFA’s extensive Russian decorative arts collection is in large part attributed to one donor, Mrs. Lillian Thomas Pratt, whose collection of more than 400 Russian decorative arts objects all began with a fork.

Search Her Archive

Mrs. Pratt’s Story

Learn more about how  her collection was formed.

Mrs. Pratt’s Timeline

click on a date for more information

1876

1917

1933

1933 - 1945

1936

1947

1954

1876

Lillian Thomas is born.
1917

Lillian marries John Lee Pratt.
1933

Mrs. Pratt begins her collection of Russian decorative arts.

Russian Fork

This is the fork that Mrs. Pratt bought on January 25, 1933 from a Lord & Taylor department store. VMFA houses an extensive archive of material related to Mrs. Pratt’s collection, including invoices, price tags, letters, and other documents that provide background information about individual objects and the times in which she was collecting.

Fork
Russian, late 19th century
Silver-gilt, mother of pearl
Bequest of Lillian Thomas Pratt, 47.20.381

Silver frame

This silver frame is the first Fabergé object acquired by Lillian Pratt. It contains an original photograph of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Tsar Nicholas II’s uncle, and his wife, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Their crowned signatures (in Russian Cyrillic letters) appear to the sides of their photograph. The frame’s top edge is surmounted by a crowned enamel coat of arms of the city of Moscow. The dates (1891-1904) engraved below the photograph refer to the fourteenth anniversary of Sergei’s governorship of Moscow.

FABERGÉ FIRM
Russian, 1842-1917
Frame, 1899-1908
Silver, enamel, plastic glass
Original photograph of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizabeth
1933 - 1945

Mrs. Pratt purchases five imperial eggs.

The Red Cross Egg

The Imperial Red Cross Egg was presented in 1915 by Tsar Nicholas II to his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, as a tribute to her service as head of the Russian Red Cross. Although this egg is less costly than others, due to the wartime conditions, Fabergé created a stunning effect with five bands of white guilloché enamel, each with a different pattern.

Experience this egg in 360°
Watch the video of this egg’s surprise

The Peter the Great Egg

The Imperial Peter the Great Easter Egg was presented by Tsar Nicholas II to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in 1903. It commemorates the 200th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg by Tsar Peter the Great.

Experience this egg in 360°
Watch the video of this egg’s surprise

The Rock Crystal Egg with Revolving Miniatures

Tsar Nicholas II gave the Imperial Rock Crystal Easter Egg to his wife Alexandra Feodorovna as an Easter gift in 1896. It was their second Easter together — just two months before their coronation.

Experience this egg in 360°
Watch the video of this egg’s surprise

The Tsarevich Easter Egg

The Imperial Tsarevich Easter Egg was presented by Tsar Nicholas II to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in 1912. The egg is cleverly constructed to appear as if it is carved from a single piece of lapis lazuli. It actually has six lapis lazuli sections. The joints are concealed under the elaborate gold decorations that include double-headed eagles, a symbol of imperial Russia.

Experience this egg in 360°
Watch the video of this egg’s surprise

The Pelican Easter Egg

The Imperial Pelican Easter Egg was presented by Tsar Nicholas II to his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, in 1898. The egg commemorates the 100th anniversary of the charities and educational institutions she directed, which were founded by an earlier Russian empress who also took the name Maria Feodorovna (Alexander I’s mother, who was born Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, 1759–1828).

Experience this egg in 360°
Watch the video of this egg’s surprise
1936

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) opens.
1947

Mrs. Pratt dies and bequeaths her collection of Fabergé to VMFA.
1954

VMFA opens its first Fabergé permanent gallery exhibition, which was supported financially by Mr. Pratt.

1949 Exhibit Drawing

There were six annual exhibitions of the eggs every Easter from 1949-1954. The first permanent gallery installation opened on December 17, 1954.

1954, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Mrs. John D. Butzner, Jr., a family friend of the Pratts, noted, “One of the things… that I remember very much was Mr. Pratt’s devotion to Mrs. Pratt. He felt that [the exhibition] was going to be a wonderful memorial to Mrs. Pratt and he wanted to do everything he could to make it as pleasant and delightful a memorial as possible.”

Browse the Archives

Photography and Drawings

Explore publicity shots of the eggs,  before Mrs. Pratt purchased them and  during their early years at VMFA.

learn more

Rare Books

Explore Mrs. Pratt’s personal library, donated to VMFA in 1947 along with her art collection.

learn more

Invoices and Price Tags

Explore original invoices and price tags from the Schaffer Collection and Hammer Galleries.

learn more

Four Historic Paths  

Learn the stories behind the collection through four historic pathways:

Empress Maria Feodorovna
Tsar Nicholas & Empress Alexandra
Karl Fabergé
Mrs. Lillian Thomas Pratt

The Fairytale Path

Journey through the classic Russian fairytale Ivan and the Gray Wolf.

Fabergé Egg-Creator

Build your own Fabergé miniature egg with the custom egg builder!

A Creative Tool Kit for Teachers

Request to download specially selected archival material that investigates the economics of collecting Fabergé decorative art. Challenge students’ math skills, logic skills, historical knowledge, and creativity!

learn more

Ballet Russe Educational Resource

Check back soon for a new educational resource on the famous Ballet Russe!

The Council of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts provided generous support for the digitization of the Lillian Thomas Pratt Collection of Fabergé and Russian Decorative Arts. Digitization of the Lillian Thomas Pratt Archives has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
www.neh.gov

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this web resource do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

VMFA

THE LILLIAN THOMAS PRATT ARCHIVES

THE LILLIAN THOMAS PRATT ARCHIVES

AND FABERGÉ AT VMFA

Mrs. Lillian Thomas Pratt

Browse the Archives

Photography and Drawings

Rare Books

Invoices and Price Tags

THE LILLIAN THOMAS PRATT ARCHIVES

AND FABERGÉ AT VMFA