On Easter 1900 Nicholas II presented to his mother, the widowed Empress Maria Fyodorovna, an egg with a miniature model of the monument to Alexander III. The choice of the model was justified. Fabergé had often commemorated in his Easter masterpieces important events in the life of the Empire and the imperial family, one of which was the erection of the first statue to 'the peacemaker Tsar' in the northern capital in 1909.

A miniature golden monument is fixed on the high pedestal made of lapis lazuli with a shiny belt of small diamonds. However, the statue provoked a lot of criticism and outcry among the Russian public. The statue was designed by Paolo Trubetskoy, a devotee of so-called sculptural impressionism, whom academicians considered to be an amateur, plebeian in art and even a dropout. Looking at the Tsar’s figure they saw neither anatomy nor a picture, his horse was compared with a cow and they eventually concluded this monument to be a mockery of the people. There were other opinion, however. Ilya Repin believed that the Trubetskoy's monument was the most beautiful and artistic after the Bronze Horseman. According to other contemporaries, Prince Trubetskoy had faithfully captured some special spiritual traits of Alexander III. The arch-necked and powerful horse, perfectly matching the Tsar with his powerful physique, was viewed by many as a personification of Russia – recalcitrant, unrestrained and sheer strength. Time passed and people grew accustomed to the monument and started writing of it as an outstanding work, which would find its place in the arts' history.  The sculptor was obviously attempting to create a monument that would please hisroyal customers, so there could be no question of forging a satire or caricature. Carl Fabergé always wanted to amaze and surprise the Tsar's family with his works, so he invariably heeded their advice, signed off on the initial sketches and explained the details of his various projects. Fabergé was able to conceptualize the potential of the magnificent monument for creating a fine miniature statuette.

The surprise monument which was placed inside the exquisite case was cast in the Renaissance style. It was chiselled from rock crystal, a jeweller’s variation of what at that time was called topaz, and decorated with a finely engraved pattern. Quadrilateral herma figures are fastened and tapered downwards, ending with double-headed eagles. The upper part of the egg with a web of diamonds, resembling a caisson, is like a shining dome over the statue of the Emperor.

The frame of the egg is entirely made of platinum. Fabergé was one of the first to appreciate the rich decorative potential of platinum. By the same token, it was comparatively new, the jewellery made of it was not subject to labelling, nor was it measured in karats. This metal turned to be an irreplaceable material for decoration. In 1910 Fabergé firm produced a wide array of decorations made of platinum or platinum-containing alloys, studded with diamonds. But the first true hymn to platinum was the Easter masterpiece with the monument to Alexander III.

For many years the only representation of the monumental construction by Paolo Trubetskoy could be obtained from Fabergé’s miniature model since during Soviet times the monument was removed from the square across from Nikolaevsky (nowadays Moskovsky) train station. The monument can now be seen before the entrance to the Marble Palace.