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View of Fabergé's Mosaic Egg and Surprise
Fabergé in the Royal Collection

An introduction to Fabergé in the Royal Collection

Brown bear

RCIN 40301

Although the majority of the animals on the Sandringham Estate were either domestic or farmyard breeds, some fiercer beasts were also in residence.  Mrs Herbert Jones described how ‘two big bears in a pit, indifferent to spectators, calmly climb their accustomed pole’.  The pit was – surprisingly – adjacent to York Cottage, where the future King George V and Queen Mary lived with their young children.  Another observer noted that the two bears, Charlie and Polly, ‘were dreaded by their keeper when he had to wash them every day’.  They were eventually moved to London Zoo by the Prince of Wales.  This intricate sculpture, which may have been part of the Sandringham commission, is chiselled on one paw C and on the other F – the initials of Carl Fabergé.


    The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Royal Collection Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.