 Unknown to all but the royal family, Alexei was expected to die of hemophilia and was at one point so close to death that the Russian Imperial Court had already drawn up his death certificate.When Alexei survived, Fabergé, who knew of the Tsarevich's health, created the egg for Alexei's mother as a tribute to the miracle of his survival.Subsequent owners included antiques dealer Armand Hammer, who moved from Paris to New York in the early 1930s.