Together with borrowed pieces from seven public and private St. Petersburg and U.S. collections, the State Hermitage Museum exhibited its own collection of approximately 150 Fabergé objects--some never before displayed. The exhibition opened on October 2, 1997, and was shown in the sitting room of the Russian Empress Maria Aleksandrovna, located on the second floor of the Hermitage, just a few steps from St. George's Hall. Originally conceived as a one-year project, the exhibition was extended to run through September 2000. In each subsequent year, about 25 new objects were rotated into the exhibition. More than 3 million visitors viewed the exhibition.

The Western contributions came from the collections of John A. Traina, Jr., San Francisco; A La Vieille Russie, New York; The Forbes Collection, New York; and Wartski, London. The principal sponsor was JT International, with transportation for the objects provided by FINNAIR and customs assistance from Khepri.

objects in the second year of the exhibition