▁ 1 9 1 7 . ▁However , ▁Cz ar ▁Nicholas ▁II ▁was ▁de posed ▁before ▁he ▁could ▁give ▁it ▁to ▁his ▁mother . ▁When ▁Ivan ov ▁first ▁bought ▁the ▁K are li an ▁egg , ▁some ▁exper ts ▁resist ed ▁because ▁its ▁existence ▁wasn ’ t ▁known ▁previously . ▁Ivan ov ▁now ▁has ▁documents ▁found ▁in ▁the ▁Russian ▁state ▁arch ives ▁prov ing ▁that ▁the ▁egg ▁is ▁genu ine . ▁ ▁The ▁Fab erg é ▁company ▁was ▁founded ▁in ▁St ▁Petersburg ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 2 , ▁and ▁it ▁was ▁an ▁official ▁supp lier ▁to ▁the ▁Russian ▁Imperial ▁court ▁from ▁ 1 8 8 5 ▁to ▁ 1 9 1 7 . ▁It ▁also ▁supplied ▁high - end ▁lux ury ▁goods ▁to ▁the ▁Russian ▁and ▁European ▁arist ocracy . ▁Besides ▁the ▁cz ars , ▁clients ▁included ▁the ▁Queen ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁Kingdom ▁and ▁the ▁royal ▁family ▁of ▁S iam ▁( now ▁Th ailand ). ▁Fab erg é ▁was ▁closed ▁after ▁the ▁B ols he vik s ▁seized ▁power ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 7 . ▁The ▁company ’ s ▁art works ▁became ▁popular ▁again ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s ▁with ▁Western ▁collect ors , ▁led ▁by ▁Mal col m ▁For bes . ▁Pr ices ▁reached ▁records ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 1 st ▁century , ▁thanks ▁to ▁Rus si ans ▁such ▁as ▁Ivan ov ▁who ▁took ▁a ▁fancy ▁to ▁fine ▁art works ▁of ▁the ▁country ’ s ▁her itage . ▁ ▁Ivan ov ▁said ▁his