Jewelry of Maria Feodorovna. Jewelry from the Romanov House. Radiant diadem of Elizaveta Alekseevna
24 March 2014, 14:10Until February 1917, the Russian imperial court was considered one of the richest in Europe. Jewelry for the august persons was created by the best craftsmen of those years. The Romanov jewelers developed fashion trends and gave them national features. As soon as new trends appeared, they were immediately taken into account, but they often surpassed their European counterparts in luxury and compositional solutions.
Large imperial crown. It was commissioned by Catherine the Great for her coronation in 1762. to the court jeweler, a native of Switzerland, Jeremiah Pozier and was used for the coronation of all representatives of the Romanov dynasty who subsequently ascended the throne. The crown is crowned with a cross and a colossal dark red spinel weighing about 398.72 carats, which was purchased in Beijing in 1676 by the Russian ambassador Nikolai Spafari.
According to Bosier’s memoirs: Catherine ordered the jeweler to review the state jewelry, break up what was not in modern taste and use it for a new crown, which she wanted to have for her coronation. Despite all efforts to lighten the weight, the crown weighed 2.3 kg. Precious stones were taken from the royal treasury, 6 kg of silver and 0.5 kg of gold were also purchased.
Power was created by the jeweler Georg Frederick Eckart in 1784 and, like the large imperial crown, has survived to this day almost in its original form. Only at the end of the 18th century. a large diamond and sapphire were added to it. A smooth, polished, hollow inside ball of red gold is entwined along the upper half with belts of garlands of silver and diamonds, which were, apparently, part of earlier state regalia - from the time of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. At the top of the orb is an oval sapphire of 200 carats, brought from Ceylon; the huge stone is bordered with diamonds, with which the cross crowning it is also studded. An ancient diamond from the Golconda mines is placed at the junction of the decorative belts. Weighing 46.92 carats, this absolutely pure stone has a light blue tint and tiny cracks. The cut shape - pear-shaped, with many facets and an almost flat base - is typical of ancient Indian stones.
Scepter. The massive scepter consists of three smooth gold parts, separated by paired diamond belts. The fourth pair of belts frames the famous Orlov diamond, weighing 189.2 carats, set in silver with diamonds, crowning the scepter. The frame bears the Russian coat of arms – a double-headed eagle, covered with black enamel and also decorated with diamonds. The eagle is removable - on special ceremonial occasions it was replaced with the coat of arms of Poland.
The Orlov diamond has a fascinating history. This stone, which retains an ancient Indian cut, is a fragment of a much larger crystal. It was found in the 17th century and cut into an octahedron. After cutting, the diamond lost significant weight. The stone is very clean and has a slight bluish-greenish tint. According to legend, this magnificent diamond, along with another stone of similar beauty and value, was the eye of an idol in Seringan (South India), from where it was stolen by a French soldier in the early 18th century.
It is not known what happened to this stone until the ruler of Persia, Nadir Shah, took possession of it; after his death, the diamond was stolen a second time and the stone ended up in the hands of a merchant from Julfa in Armenia, Gregory Safras. Safras placed the stone in a bank in Amsterdam, and later sold the stone to the nephew of his first wife, the court jeweler Ivan Lazarev, who subsequently resold the diamond to Count Orlov. Orlov gave the stone to Catherine II.
Small imperial crown. The Small Imperial Crown is a unique piece of jewelry that was created in order to carry out the coronation of the wife of Alexander II, Maria Alexandrovna. Jeweler Seftigen made this unique crown in 1856 according to sketches made by L. D. Duval back in 1797.
In order to make the crown, 1,393 diamonds were needed, weighing a total of 586.92 carats, as well as 2,167 rose-cut diamonds, despite such a large number, the weight of the diamonds was 9 carats. The production of the small crown took 256.96 grams of silver and 2.26 grams of gold.
In total, the crown weighed 378.39 grams, and its height was only 13 cm. The diameter of the lower part of the small crown of the Russian Empire was only 12 cm. To keep it on the head, it was attached to the hair with a special hairpin. In its shape, the small imperial crown resembles the large crown of the Russian Empire, decorated with noble spinel. The diamond lace in a silver frame amazes with its beauty.
Diamond chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. The diamond chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called consisted of twenty removable links. It alternates rosettes with the monogram of Paul I and with the St. Andrew's cross and a double-headed eagle.
Small diamond chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, consisting of twenty-three links connected by rings and studded with diamonds weighing more than 180 carats. Dated in the inventory to 1798 - that is, the period of the reign of Paul I, this chain, without a doubt, was created in the first half of the 19th century.
Imperial wedding crown. The diamond crown is part of the wedding dress of the Grand Duchesses. The imperial wedding crown was created in 1840. jewelers Nikol and Plinke using diamonds from a large belt from the time of Catherine II, the author of which is considered to be a court jeweler of the 18th century. Louis David Duval. The surviving part of the belt with two diamond tassels consists of separate elements connected together with silver wire; the stones are set in solid silver.
Wedding of Princess Elizabeth of Hesse and the Rhine with Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, 1884
Wedding of Their Imperial Majesties, November 14, 1894
Diamond tiara with pink diamond. The tiara with a pink 13-carat diamond is the only tiara from the 19th and 20th centuries found in Russia. Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was used in the wedding costume of the Grand Duchesses. The almost triangular shape of the diadem has retained the name “kokoshnik” to this day.
Great diadem of Empress Alexandra.“Lovers knot” tiaras, the fashion for which began in Europe no later than 1825, were also popular at the Russian court. Nicholas I's wife, Empress Alexandra, had at least two tiaras, in the lovers' knot style. The first is a large diamond tiara 1831 (1833) (possibly by J. Ernst) with 113 pearls.
The finest hour of this pompous tiara was 1906. On April 27, at the opening ceremony of the State Duma in the St. George Hall of the Winter Palace, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Nicholas II) appeared before the courtiers and deputies in a luxurious white and gold outfit, with an order chain and ribbon, and in a large pearl diadem with a train.
artist N. Bodarevsky portrait of Alexandra Feodorovna
at the opening of the State Duma
Pearl tiara by K. Bolin. The second pearl tiara was created by K. Bolin in 1842. 25 pearls are suspended in diamond arches. A well-known headdress in Russian costume is the ochelya, and Bolin’s work vaguely resembles it.
Today this tiara is owned by I. Marcos (the Philippine government is trying to put the tiara and other valuables from the Marcos collection up for auction).
Tiara and necklace from the parure of Empress Maria Feodorovna. Tiara from a parure created for Empress Maria Feodorovna in the early 1880s. All the pearls - from the storage of His Majesty's cabinet - amaze with their impeccable regular shape and amazing shine.
On the right is a parure brooch from the same parure. In the center is a bracelet made of three strands of oriental pearls with a clasp made of an oval sapphire weighing more than 20 carats, edged with diamonds. On the left is a brooch with a pearl edged with diamonds of impeccable purity, a pinkish classic round cut diamond weighing 9 old carats is attached to the brooch, below is a pendant of a pink oval pearl edged with round diamonds of a yellowish hue.
Necklace of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. Necklace made by Cartier in 1900 for Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, with six strands of pearls and two large imperial eagles studded with diamonds.
Collier russe. Russian necklace believed to date from the early 19th century. Indian and Brazilian diamonds set in gold and silver. The necklace can also be worn as a tiare russe - a tiara sewn onto a velvet kokoshnik. All ray-shaped pendants are numbered from 1 to 59 and have hooks on the back side, which greatly facilitated the patch.
Another wedding gift to the daughter of Alexander II is a luxurious diamond tiare russe (Russian tiara). This tiara was inherited by Maria Alexandrovna's daughter, Queen Maria of Romania.
Mary Duchess of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wearing a Russian tiara.
Tiara with turquoise(Faberge, 1890s) Diamond tiara with 54 turquoise cabochons in gold and silver belonged to the Imperial Family of Russia, lost during the revolution.
Tiara with sapphires. Tiara made of sapphire and diamond parure, which was made for Empress Alexandra Feodorovna at the beginning of the 20th century. Friedrich Köchli, a Swiss by birth, who became the St. Petersburg court jeweler in 1902. The tiara design is composed of intertwined semicircles, into which 16 large sapphires are inserted in a gold frame with small gold rail rivets. The diamonds are set in silver on a gold base. Next to the tiara there is a corsage decoration or brooch from the same parure.
The motif of cornflower flowers, intertwining lines and the royal lily is an example of eclecticism of the 1890s. Similar motifs were used as early as the 1870s. jewelers Boucheron in a ruby diadem 1878
Emerald tiara with alternating arches and bows in Rococo style. Tiara made from a parure commissioned by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to court jewelers Bolin and Faberge in 1900. The parure was decorated with large cabochon-cut emeralds and diamonds (diamonds of South African origin). All stones were set in silver with gold settings, all elements were numbered and could be replaced with others. The crown and necklace (not shown) were made in great haste by the jeweler Schwerin from the Bohlin company. The crown is decorated with a large, quadrangular, cabochon-cut emerald with a cone-shaped crown, weighing about 23 carats.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna with a crown on her head is depicted in a portrait painted by N.K. Bodarevsky in 1907
Tiara "Russian Field". Tiaras with motifs of ears of corn and laurel leaves are one of the most popular types of jewelry in the first third of the 19th century. For the widow of Paul I, Empress Maria, the Duval workshop created a diamond diadem made of ears of corn with a leucosapphire in the center. She was counted, according to Maria Feodorovna's will, among the crown jewels after her death.
Large sapphire tiara. Classicism and Empire style, as its later manifestation, is a large sapphire diadem. Presumably the work of the Duval workshop. The large sapphire diadem (reconstruction) could have returned to Russia after the death of Paul I’s daughter Alexandra. A diadem with a similar design belonged to Queen Sophia of the Netherlands (wife of William III), but instead of 5 sapphires, gems were fixed between the stylized branches of the laurel. It is known that the Dutch version of the decoration was created in the Duval workshop, therefore, the sapphire diadem, kept in the Diamond Room of the Winter Palace, came from the famous workshop. A sketch of such a compositional solution is kept in the State Historical Museum, and in 1902 Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna received from her mother a tiara created by Cartier, the motif of which is very reminiscent of Duval’s works.
Sapphire paper. Consists of a sapphire kokoshnik tiara and brooch.
The history of the kokoshnik with sapphires dates back to the first half of the 19th century. In 1825, Russian Emperor Nicholas I presented a tiara with sapphires to his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, née Princess Frederica-Louise-Charlotte-Wilhelmina, daughter of the Prussian King Frederick William III and his wife Queen Louise, in honor of their accession to the Russian throne. The kokoshnik was complemented by a magnificent sapphire brooch with pendants.
The next owner of the kokoshnik was the grandson of Alexandra Feodorovna, the third son of Alexander II, uncle of Emperor Nicholas II, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. The kokoshnik became a gift to the wife of the Grand Duke - Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, born Princess Maria Alexandrina-Elizabeth-Eleonora of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; at court she was compared to Catherine II. During her husband’s life, Maria Pavlovna did not wear a kokoshnik, and only after his death in 1909 she decided to update the old sapphire tiara, and ordered the Cartier jewelry house to remake the tiara and brooch into a new, more modern form. All elements with sapphires and diamonds were removable and could be worn as brooches. Cartier personally handed over this unique piece of jewelry to the customer in St. Petersburg.
In 1910, the Grand Duchess wanted to have a corsage decoration that would match the kokoshnik she loved. She again provided Cartier with several pieces of jewelry so that the jeweler would disassemble them and use the stones in a new piece (pictured below). The jeweler used an oval sapphire weighing 162 carats as the central element of the jewelry.
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna in sapphire parure. Portrait by Boris Kustodiev. 1913
Jewelry collection of Empress Maria Feodorovna
Empress Maria Feodorovna was a passionate lover of jewelry in all its diversity. Of course, according to their status, empresses were supposed to shine in jewelry made of precious stones. But Maria Feodorovna devoted herself to this brilliance with all her considerable temperament. Perhaps none of the Russian empresses left behind such a collection of “brilliant” ceremonial portraits. Let us note that the artist, while thinking over the composition of the ceremonial portrait, could not in any way influence the choice of jewelry on his model. Therefore, everything that we see in the ceremonial portraits is the personal choice of the empress, who sought to remain exactly like that in the eyes of her descendants - strewn with royal treasures.
K.E. Makovsky. Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna
Arriving in Russia in the fall of 1866, Tsarevna Maria Feodorovna, due to her status, was showered with jewelry during the wedding celebrations, as expected. So, the day after the wedding ceremony came the turn of another tradition - a wedding gift from a young husband to his wife. This gift was also one of the crown jewels passed down by inheritance. Thus, in October 1866, the future Alexander III presented his “august wife with a Sevigne brooch, decorated with emeralds, sapphires, topazes and diamonds. The 1st emerald has 56 carats, the 2nd has 35 carats, the sapphire has 12 carats, two pink topazes, 53 diamonds, 74 double diamonds, 81 single diamonds, 370 roses. This brooch, valued in 1864 at 17,785 rubles ., according to the will of Empress Maria Feodorovna, donated by the now safely reigning Sovereign Emperor to Empress Maria Alexandrovna, on the next day of the wedding of Their Majesties, should for future times serve as a similar gift from the Tsarevich ... to his august wife.” This is how the famous jewelry box of Empress Maria Feodorovna began to take shape.
The Empress more than once showed her creative nature, offering unconventional moves that, among other things, could favorably highlight her beautiful jewelry collection. Among such successful ideas of Empress Maria Feodorovna, without a doubt, is the so-called “Black Ball”.
The famous “Black Ball” took place on January 26, 1889 at the Anichkov Palace. So called because all those invited to the ball were asked to come in mourning clothes. Such a strange request was caused by the fact that the Austrian court organized large festivities during mourning at the Russian court. While preparing the next ball at the Anichkov Palace, news arrived of the death of the Austrian Archduke. The ball was not cancelled, but guests were asked to wear black dresses.
At the same time, the ladies were informed about the change in the “scenario” of the ball only on January 22: “Governor Marshal Obolensky arrives and announces that on Thursday they will dance in the Anichkov Palace in black dresses...”. One can only imagine the commotion that arose in the ladies' boudoirs after this news, and how feverishly the strategic task of radically changing the image was solved. However, society ladies had mourning dresses, but here a different task was set - ball dresses should have been black color. In addition, it was necessary to select the appropriate accessories. The ladies were tactfully made to understand that shining diamonds look especially impressive against the backdrop of black dresses. In passing, we note that in the collection of crown diamonds, the Russian empresses had a rich collection of special jewelry with black stones, which were worn on days of palace mourning or funerals.
The news caused a hiss from ascetics, for example, such influential ones as Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K.P. Pobedonostsev, who called “dancing in black dresses... blasphemy.” However, the Empress, who had a taste for this unusual idea, could afford to neglect such hissing. Of course, the dressmakers worked without breaking a sweat for four days, the ladies spent a lot of money due to force majeure, but the strategic task was successfully solved and the ladies shone at the ball on January 26...
The valet of Empress Maria Feodorovna described the ladies' outfits as follows: “Gray cut-out dresses, black fans, black elbow-length gloves, black shoes.” During the ball, only Viennese music was performed, again in defiance of the Austrian court. It must be admitted that this was truly an exquisite revenge, since “women have never looked so attractive as at this ball - in black evening dresses studded with diamonds!” One of the participants in this ball, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov (poet “K.R.”), wrote in his diary: “The ball in Anichkov on January 26, 1886 was very unique, with ladies in all black. The diamonds sparkled even brighter on them. I was either happy or bored.”
Three years earlier, on January 25, 1883, already on the initiative of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and with the active support of his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, a costume ball was held, in the preparation of which jewelry was actively used. Jewelry, however, was presented in abundance at all the great imperial balls. However, in 1883 they solved a slightly different problem, creating the surroundings of the court of the Moscow Tsars of the 17th century. By this time, the scenario for the power of Alexander III was completely defined, and it was based on the idea of national self-sufficiency. In May 1883, this idea was fully presented in the surroundings of the coronation celebrations.
So, on January 25, 1883, the Tsar’s younger brother, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, had a costume ball. Let us note that the historical costumes were not improvised by tailors “on a theme”. The creation of the costumes was preceded by serious work in the archives of the Imperial Academy of Arts.
Gold and silver threads, precious stones and pearls, sable and ermine furs were used to trim costumes made from the best fabrics. There was no props, everything was real.
Emperor Alexander III and his wife were present at the ball. Empress Maria Feodorovna was dressed in the costume of a Russian tsarina of the 17th century, consisting of “a brocade dress decorated with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, pearls and other jewelry; brocade fur coat with golden flowers, trimmed with sable fur and with split sleeves. On Her Majesty’s head she wore a silver cap-crown, trimmed with sable and decorated with large diamonds, emeralds and large pearls, which flowed in several threads from the cap to the shoulder.” During dinner at this ball, exclusively Russian songs were performed.
Empress Maria Feodorovna in the costume of a Russian queen of the 17th century. 1883
In the magazine “World Illustration” the ball was described as follows: “Up to 250 noble persons of both sexes were invited to the ball... On the main staircase, on the landing and in the doorway of the small dining room there were servants dressed in picturesque costumes of different eras, having connections with Russian history: they were Scythians, Varangians, Bermyats, Novgorod and Moscow archers... Soon the living room and dance hall were filled with Russian boyars, boyars and boyar children of both sexes, governors, knights, Duma and embassy clerks, kravchi, okolnichi, hunters, bells, horsemen and foot dwellers (from the time of John IV)...". It is noteworthy that if Empress Maria Feodorovna allowed herself to appear in the dress of the Moscow queen of the 17th century, then Emperor Alexander III was at this ball in a general’s uniform.
Memoirists also celebrated this ball. So, A.A. Polovtsev wrote in his diary: “A ball at the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich... in costumes predominantly Russian of the 16th century. The celebration is extremely successful; the abundance and variety of bright colors enlivens the hall in contrast to the boring tailcoat. The empress is wearing the correct historical costume, drawn by the prince. Grigory Gagarin. The wealth of matter and stones is extraordinary. My wife is in a Russian costume of the 11th century, my daughter is in a Tatar headdress, and I am in a costume depicted in the famous engraving, depicting a portrait of the steward Potemkin, who traveled as an ambassador to England. Particularly outstanding are the costumes of Vasilchikov, the director of the Hermitage and his two daughters... All the great princes are dressed in the richest costumes and headdresses, in general the men are dressed with greater historical fidelity than the ladies. The Emperor leaves soon after dinner, but the Empress continues dancing until 4 1/2 in the morning.”
G. Angeli. Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna. 1874
The personal preferences of the imperial couple were not only reflected in the selection of items from their jewelry collections, but also created a kind of jewelry fashion. This is also related to smoking items. The fact is that Maria Fedorovna smoked. It was she who made the cigarette case a fashionable item for women's everyday social use. Over time, the Empress began collecting cigarette cases, lighters, and ashtrays. In this collection there were many things “from Faberge”, “drenched” in magnificent enamels. Nicholas II also had a smoking collection.
Returning to the “large” jewelry collection of the Empress, it should be emphasized that during palace ceremonies, Empress Maria Feodorovna considered it necessary to appear in public, decorated with crown diamonds. And her relatives did not miss an opportunity to note this fact. For example, when in February 1912, the young prince of the imperial blood, Gabriel Konstantinovich, met Maria Feodorovna at the Mariinsky Theater, the empress was in a black evening dress, with a large round diamond in her hair. At the same time, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich considered it necessary to explain to his son that this diamond was not her own, but belonged to the crown. It should be noted that the Romanovs, and especially their female half, knew very well the history and list of crown diamonds. Of course, they did not study the inventory, but word of mouth passed on information about famous stones from generation to generation.
V.P. Khudoyarov. Portrait of Maria Feodorovna
Diamond brooch with pearls
Together with the tiara and necklace it makes one parure. Work of the second half of the 19th century. Pearls from old items from the Cabinet of E.I.V. The last time Empress Maria Feodorovna wore crown diamonds was at the beginning of 1914. Gabriel Konstantinovich, who was present during the traditional appearance on January 6, 1914, recalled: “Both Tsarinas wore Russian dresses, low-cut sundresses, long trains and kokoshniks. They were wearing wonderful jewelry. I imagine Empress Maria Feodorovna in a silver dress, in a necklace of huge diamonds, and with a diamond tiara in the form of rays on the kokoshnik.” About Alexandra Fedorovna he wrote: “I imagine her either in a blue sundress, embroidered with gold, with a huge train trimmed with a wide, dark sable, or in pale pink and silver. Her kokoshnik is covered with a diamond tiara with pearls, on her neck there is a diamond necklace and marvelous pearls, several rows, grain to grain and very large. She also wears St. Andrew’s ribbon and a diamond star.”
At the beginning of February 1914, the granddaughter of the Empress, Grand Duchess Irina Alexandrovna, married Felix Yusupov, and the grandmother-empress, according to tradition, shone with crown diamonds at this wedding. In addition, on the occasion of this wedding, a ball was held at the Anichkov Palace, and Maria Fedorovna noted in her diary (February 14, 1914): “For the first time in the last 20 years, today I organized a ball!”
I.N. Kramskoy. Empress Maria Feodorovna in a pearl headdress. 1880s
Maria Fedorovna was a secular woman; in addition, nature endowed her with what is called “charm.” She loved the glitz and bustle of the big world and, naturally, she had enough opportunities to adequately frame her many outfits from the famous Charles Worth. Going out into the big world, she shone as usual and for many years, as befits a Russian empress. Maria Feodorovna was a woman with great taste and great potential. Both allowed her not only to dictate the fashion of the great St. Petersburg society, but also to buy herself jewelry of enormous value. At the same time, price was not the main measure of the value of the empress’s jewelry. The main thing for her was the artistic merits of jewelry. It was during her reign that the talent and business activity of Carl Faberge began to take off, who put the design elaboration of his products at the forefront, and not the carat weight of diamonds. Numerous relatives, knowing the empress’s jewelry tastes, gave her items from the same C. Faberge or E. Bolin.
Over time, Maria Fedorovna developed a good jewelry collection, and if everything had gone its way, many of her items would have definitely been included in the crown diamonds. The brilliance of these jewels is masterfully captured in the ceremonial portraits of Maria Feodorovna. None of her predecessors shone in ceremonial portraits with such incredible design and value jewelry.
A. Pasetti. Empress Maria Feodorovna. 1881
I.N. Kramskoy. Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna. 1882
Having become empress on March 1, 1881, Maria Feodorovna received legal access to the crown diamonds. She could use unique jewelry, bearing in mind that after her death these valuables would certainly be returned for storage to the safes of storage room No. 1 of the Winter Palace.
K.E. Makovsky. Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna. 1912
Apparently, Maria Fedorovna used the resource of the Diamond Room of the Winter Palace very actively. Then the Inventory included 369 inventory units of crown diamonds. At the same time, in the margins of the description book, the pencil inscription “At Her Majesty’s” is repeatedly found. There are 86 such items in the inventory. In the mentioned ceremonial portraits of the Empress we can still see these diamonds (Table 51).
Table 51
a – Hairpin in the form of a cornucopia with flower baskets. OK. 1780 Master L.-D. Duval. “A flower in the form of a cornucopia, with little diamonds of different sizes, between them, two pendants, weighing from 3 to 4 times each”; b – hairpins in the form of baskets with flowers. 1780s Duval's workshop. “Two pins depicting flower baskets, in which there are 4 diamonds of 6 carats; 4 diamonds 3 1/4 carats; double and single cut diamond 16 carats"
Thus, the list below describes 86 pieces of jewelry totaling RUB 2,337,509. at prices in 1865. Maria Fedorovna managed to take some of these unique items out of Russia in April 1919. After her death, the jewelry collection was gradually sold off. Some items from Maria Feodorovna's box were purchased by George V's wife, Queen May. One of the purchases included a pearl and diamond necklace with sapphire and diamond clasp (estimated at £6,000) and a pearl and diamond brooch (estimated at £555). In 1930, the Queen purchased an oblong brooch set with a polished sapphire and pink diamonds (£26, 12s) and an oval brooch set with sprigs of sapphires and diamonds, with a pearl pendant (originally estimated at £3,250, bought for £2,375 . Art.).
From the book Tsar's Money. Income and expenses of the House of Romanov author Zimin Igor Viktorovich From the book The Tsar's Work. XIX – early XX centuries author Zimin Igor ViktorovichCapital of Empress Maria Feodorovna More interesting in terms of money is the conversation about Empress Maria Feodorovna. This was a woman accustomed to living in grand style, as befits a princess and empress. She had excellent taste and was considered one of the
From the book Alexander III and his time author Tolmachev Evgeniy PetrovichJewelry album of Maria Fedorovna In the list of crown diamonds in the Diamond Room (Pantry No. 1) of the Winter Palace, the main place was, of course, occupied by women's jewelry. And the list of crown diamonds itself was largely formed thanks to the efforts of several
From the book Jewelry Treasures of the Russian Imperial Court author Zimin Igor Viktorovich From the book St. Petersburg Jewelers of the 19th Century. A wonderful start to the Alexandrov days author Kuznetsova Liliya Konstantinovna From the book Russian Nice author Nechaev Sergey Yurievich From the author's bookJewelry collection of Grand Duchess Olga Fedorovna European brides who became grand duchesses also did not shine with a rich dowry. For example, the bride of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, daughter of the Grand Duke of Baden Leopold, great in Orthodoxy
From the author's bookJewelry collection of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna The wife of Nicholas I, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, managed to assemble a huge jewelry collection. She succeeded thanks to the efforts of her husband, who loved and pampered his “White Rose.” Before talking about jewelry
From the author's bookJewelry collection of Empress Maria Alexandrovna If we talk about the family of Alexander II, then Empress Maria Alexandrovna, like all women, was partial to jewelry. Quite a lot of paintings have come down to us, painted from Empress Maria Alexandrovna in
From the author's bookJewelry collection of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, like all German princesses, when she arrived in Russia, had a very modest set of maiden rings. On the other hand, she was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England, and her jewelry collection
From the author's bookJewelry album of Empress Maria Feodorovna Home albums with poems and drawings were one of the noble traditions, but in the royal residences this tradition was transformed into the appearance of so-called jewelry albums. Drawings of gift items were recorded in these albums.
From the author's bookBracelet of Empress Maria Feodorovna “with the names of children” Maria Feodorovna bequeathed, among other things, “a bracelet with simple colored stones depicting the names of my children” to her youngest daughter Anna Pavlovna, the future Queen of the Netherlands. The same thing, but with much more
27 March 2014, 13:11Tiara of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Art Nouveau (Art Deco) is practically not reflected in the headdresses of the empresses. Even the 18-flower tiara created by the Boucheron workshop is quite far from the theme of plant diversity inherent in the turn of the century. And rather, it is a continuation of the theme of similar products created earlier. Location unknown.
Aquamarine parure. The amazing Hessian aquamarine parure consisted of a tiara, necklace, bracelet and a pair of earrings. Although each piece of jewelry looks very individual, the parure is created in the same style - the main motif is a knot.
The tiara is made in the form of a flower garland, connected with diamond knots. The garland rests on a diamond base with a floral design. Five diamond knots are crowned with five pear-shaped aquamarines surrounded by diamonds.
The necklace is made in the form of an aquamarine garland, connected with double diamond knots. The nine aquamarines are square in shape and also surrounded by diamonds. The length of the necklace is 35.5 centimeters. The bracelet consists of six cushion-cut aquamarines, which are also connected with double knots. However, here the nodules have a shape close to a quatrefoil. The length of the bracelet is 17.5 centimeters.
The tiara, necklace and bracelet were made by masters of the Faberge jewelry house. A pair of cushion-cut aquamarine earrings was made somewhat later by jeweler Koch.
The paper was sold on October 10, 1996 at Sotheby's auction. The annotations to the lots indicated that the first owner of the paper was Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, elder sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, née Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt.
The history told in the auction catalog indicates that the Grand Duchess later gave the aquamarine parure to her brother, the Grand Duke of Hesse and Rhine Ernst Ludwig. The decorations were inherited by his youngest son Ludwig. Grand Duke Ludwig gave the parure to his relative Princess Dorothea of Hesse for her wedding on April 1, 1959.
It was Princess Dorothea of Hesse who put the jewelry up for auction. As always, the buyers of the jewelry are unknown. However, there is a photo from the show of the Versace fashion house, in which the model-bride is wearing a tiara from the aquamarine parure of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.
Aquamarine Diadem. The tiara of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna with aquamarines and diamonds, the so-called Kokoshnik, was made in 1900. It was bought from the Bolsheviks in the late 1920s.
Now it is owned by the British court or personally by Elizabeth II. The set included a necklace and earrings.
Diamond necklace. This stunning necklace features 21 diamond cabochons set in sterling silver with gold rail settings; The diamonds are connected with silk threads, giving the necklace greater flexibility.
The 15 pendants of the necklace form antique pear-shaped diamonds, topped with smaller diamonds, presumably cut in the 17th or 18th centuries. The total weight of these stones of Indian origin is 475 old carats. Some of them have a bluish or pinkish tint, which enhances the effectiveness of the product.
Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna; portrait by Emil O. Wiesel, 1905 On the Empress's neck is the indicated diamond necklace.
Pearl pendant. Pendant of Empress Maria Feodorovna - diamonds, pearls. Diamond chain necklace, later modification.
Ruby parure. Alexander II ordered for his beloved and only daughter Maria (1853-1920) for her wedding with Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria (1844-1900), which consisted of a full parure in 1874, spectacularly sparkling with rubies and diamonds.
The parure was made by the court jeweler Bolin. The set includes: a diamond crown with a floral design accented with red rubies, a necklace of cushion-cut diamonds alternating with ruby cushions, a ring with a cushion-cut ruby weighing 9.19 carats, a bracelet of 12 cushion-cut diamonds, the size of which increases as you approach to a central Burmese ruby of 8.40 carats; earrings and a large brooch - once the central link - a large oval ruby of which, weighing over 12 carats, is closed in a ring of equal-sized diamonds.
The set includes: a diamond crown with a floral design accented with red rubies, a necklace of cushion-cut diamonds alternating with ruby cushions, a ring with a cushion-cut ruby weighing 9.19 carats, a bracelet of 12 cushion-cut diamonds, the size of which increases as you approach to a central Burmese ruby of 8.40 carats; earrings and a large brooch - once the central link - a large oval ruby of which, weighing over 12 carats, is closed in a ring of equal-sized diamonds.
Bow-slavage of Empress Catherine II. From the middle of the 18th century. In Europe, sklavage bows came into fashion. They were worn on a ribbon tied high on the neck. Silver, diamonds, spinels, gold. 11.5x11 cm. 1764. Master Leopold Pfisterer. Diamond Fund of Russia.
The parure with a bow also included earrings.
Pandora doll hat. This hat is a miniature example of ladies' fashion from the 1770s. Since fashion magazines appeared in Russia only at the end of the 18th century, before that, court fashionistas used dressed up dolls to select outfits, which became known as “Pandoras” (ruiners).
In ancient Greek mythology, there is a legend about how the gods created the beautiful Pandora to take revenge on the people who angered them. Hephaestus molded her from the best clay, and Athena dressed her in a luxurious silver dress and crowned her with a golden crown. According to Zeus, the beauty was supposed to bring misfortune, temptation and ruin to people. And so it happened. Ball gowns from the 18th century sometimes cost a fortune. The Pandora doll brought temptation to secular fashionistas, and ruin to their fathers and husbands. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies, gold, silver, enamel 8 x 6.5 x 4 cm 1770s
Tiara with diamond fountains. The decoration was made by Chaumet in 1899. Maria Pavlovna often visited Paris and was an ardent admirer of his magical creations and remained his client until 1914. The elements of the tiara imitate flowing streams of water, effectively sparkling in the rays of light with small diamonds and about to “shed” with large drops of pear-shaped diamonds, trembling at the slightest movement. The total weight of diamonds in this fabulous piece of jewelry is more than 75 carats. Presumably, this tiara was presented by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich to his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, on the occasion of their family anniversary - the silver wedding - which they celebrated that year.
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna wearing a tiara made in the shape of an aigrette; The photograph, taken in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century, was published in The King magazine on February 20, 1904. The photographer was Otto Wegener.
Emerald and diamond necklace. The necklace was part of the parure of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, given to her by Emperor Alexander II for her wedding with Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich in 1874. weight of the central stone in the shape of a hexagon – 100 carats
Necklaces from His Majesty's Cabinet. The jewelry was made of Indian diamonds, set in silver with gold studs. According to Fersman's catalog, the central stone of the longest necklace originates from the mines of Golconda (Central India) and has a pale bluish tint.
Pearl necklace. A necklace made of a string of pearl grains interspersed with 15 diamond motifs, to which are attached pendants with large teardrop-shaped pearls in belts of old-cut diamonds repeating their shape, set in gold and silver. This wonderful example of jewelry from the mid-19th century. kept in the Diamond Room.
Emerald parure of Elizabeth Feodorovna. Empress Maria Alexandrovna had a wonderful parure of emeralds. In the diaries of her son Sergei there is a description of his mother in this parure. It consisted of a tiara, necklace, earrings and brooch. After her death, the emerald parure went to Sergei. He gave it to his wife, Princess Ella of Hesse (Elizabeth Feodorovna). And she ordered Bolin to make a tiara out of it.
The tiara was part of the parure. By that time it consisted of a kokoshnik tiara, a luxurious necklace, where seven huge emerald cabochons were connected in an ornament of rhombuses and drops of emeralds attached to diamonds hung from them, and earrings in the same style - huge drops of emeralds were attached to large diamonds, and brooches, where a huge rare emerald cabochon was set in a diamond design with a teardrop cabochon hanging from it.
Later, the parure was presented to Maria Pavlovna the Younger for her wedding to Prince Wilhelm of Sweden in 1908. For a long time the parure was found in Serbia by Queen Mary. In 1952, the tiara and the rest of the set were sold to the Parisian jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels. The historical emeralds were removed from the tiara and sold individually.
Tiara of Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna. The tiara took the form of a filigree lace motif with rising and falling branches. A series of large drop-shaped diamonds were placed at the center of the top of the tiara. With every movement, large diamond drops sparkled dazzlingly and shimmered, reflecting the light that fell on them. The center of the tiara is dominated by a large diamond, surrounded by smaller diamonds.
Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna
Tiara of Princess Irina Alexandrovna. This amazing Diademaa belonged to Princess Irina Yusupova, nee Romanova, wife of the famous Prince Felix Yusupov and granddaughter of Emperor Alexander III, niece of Emperor Nicholas II. The tiara became a wedding gift from the groom.
As the granddaughter of the Emperor, Irina was a Princess of the Imperial Blood, and not a Grand Duchess, and her wedding was not as solemn as the Imperial one, but no less luxurious. However, the bride did not wear the famous wedding crown, but wore this tiara on her wedding day in 1914.
The tiara was made by the jewelry house Cartier in 1911 from platinum, rock crystal and diamonds. The unusual use of rock crystal produced an unusual "icy" and shimmering effect. The crystal shimmered like icicles on a frosty day in the sun. The tiara was crowned with a 3.66-carat diamond.
A distinctive feature of this tiara was the unusual “antique” rock crystal organ. The cutting design was inspired by the design of printed books of the Renaissance. Only the design geometric lines were made of stone. Above the rock crystal gallery is a line of diamonds, which are located very close to each other.
Vladimir tiara. Decoration has a long history. Initially it belonged to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, who bore the title of Princess of Vladimir. In 1890, the princess ordered jewelers to make a tiara from pear-shaped pearls and diamonds.
During the revolution, the princess managed to escape to the south of France, and her treasures, including the tiara, remained in a cache in the Vladimir Palace in St. Petersburg. British intelligence officials and family friends were able to take away some of the jewelry. After the death of the princess, the tiara was purchased by Queen Mary from the wife of Nicholas of Greece, Elena Vladimirovna.
Queen Mary was famous for her collection of royal jewels and took pride in her magnificent use of jewelery for formal occasions. She considered herself a good jewelry designer and decided that the tiara needed to be improved. She commissioned the court jewelers Garrard & Co. to remove and polish her fifteen remaining drop-shaped Cambridge emeralds, and to arrange for them to be mounted on the tiara when necessary, after the pearl drops had been removed.
This tiara became Queen Mary's favorite; she wore it with her family Cambridge or Indian emerald sets.
The Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna Tiara belongs to Queen Elizabeth II's personal jewelery collection after she inherited it from her grandmother Queen Mary in 1953.
Parure with diamonds and aquamarines. These are the only ones of many jewelry that belonged to the family of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich - which were born after the revolution. The parure was created by Cartier in 1912. It seems to have escaped the fate of other stolen jewels of the princely family because Olga kept it in her home in Paris. The parure included a tiara - an aigrette, a corsage decoration and a necklace.
In the aigrette tiara, diamonds and aquamarines are set on platinum corners. In the center of the tiara is a cushion-cut aquamarine. A feather could be inserted behind the pear-shaped aquamarine crowning the tiara.
In the center o necklace made of parure, consisting of two diamond threads, an openwork element set with diamonds, a large cushion-cut aquamarine is inserted, and a pear-shaped aquamarine bordered with diamonds serves as a pendant.
Oval aquamarines from
The orsage decoration of the parure could be removed and used as brooches. The jewelry pendant could also be worn separately. Jewels of the House of Romanov.Dowry of V. book. Anna Pavlovna.
Jean Baptiste van der Hulst Portrait of Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna, Queen of the Netherlands 1847
Anna Pavlovna (1795-1865) - Grand Duchess, youngest daughter of Pavel I Petrovich and Maria Feodorovna. Sister of Alexander I. Queen of the Netherlands in 1840-1849.
When the Grand Duchess was not yet 15 years old, Napoleon I, wanting to become related to the Russian imperial house and thereby strengthen friendly relations with Russia, asked in 1809, through the French ambassador Caulaincourt, for Anna Pavlovna's hand in marriage. As the year before, when Napoleon was courting Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna, Alexander gave an evasive answer, referring to the Grand Duchess’s youth. In 1816, Anna Pavlovna married the Dutch Crown Prince of Orange (since 1840, King Willem II).
Excerpt from the “Register of the given things belonging to Her Imperial Highness the Empress Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna” 1816.
Diamond items:
Diamond decoration.
Medallion with a portrait of the sovereign emperor at 3810 rubles.
Order and star of St. Catherine.
Epaulet.
A string consisting of 30 large diamonds.
816 bonfires with diamonds of different sizes.
Bouquet.
Big chain.
Pair of earrings.
Large tiara.
Big ridge.
Fringe.
Galun with patterns a la Greek.
Branch.
Tiara of 8 ears.
Diamond set with rubies:
Head tape.
Large branch consisting of 31 rubies.
The comb is also made of 31 rubies.
Pair of earrings made of 8 rubies.
Large chain of 32 rubies.
Clasp with a large blocky ruby.
80 castes with rubies. 189 pieces, each with 3 rubies.
Diamond set with sapphires:
Headband with sapphires.
Chain with 13 sapphires.
Neckband with 3 sapphires. A pair of bracelets, each bracelet with one samphire.
Pair of earrings with 4 sapphires.
Pair of earrings with 4 amethysts.
Diamond set with amethysts:
Buckle with one large amethyst.
Neckband with 8 amethysts.
Pair of bracelets with 12 amethysts.
Pair of earrings with 4 amethysts.
Diamond set with pearls:
Fringe with 21 pearls.
Pair of earrings with 6 pearls.
Branch with 15 pearls.
A string of 38 pearls.
A string of 125 pearls.
181 large pearls.
302 medium pearls.
541 smaller pearls.
74 pearls of different sizes.
Vel. Princess Anna Pavlovna.
The register is stored in RGIA F.468. Op.4D.106 L. 22-43.
Sapphire Tiara of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
A very interesting story of the sapphire tiara of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Emperor Nicholas I.
There is a very interesting portrait of Empress Alexandra wearing this tiara by Christina Robertson.
Portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. 1840 Christina Robertson.
REICHEL Karl - Portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
I found two portraits. Very similar.
Tsar Nicholas I gave this tiara to his wife in 1825 to commemorate their ascension to the Russian throne.
Later it was inherited by her grandson Grand Duke Vladimir
Alexandrovich, son of Alexander II. After the death of her husband in 1909, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (Michen) ordered Jeweler Cartier to remake the old tiara into a new one, which we see in her famous portrait by an unknown artist.
After the revolution, the Grand Duchess managed to take many of her jewelry with the help of her diplomatic friends abroad to Nice. She sells her tiara to her husband's niece and her sister-in-law's sister, Queen Mary of Romania - Missy, daughter of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna and the Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Queen Mary wore it to her coronation in 1922.
Queen Mary gave this tiara to her daughter Ileana. Ileana wore it to her 1931 wedding to Archduke Anton of Habsburg of Austria.
Ileana wore it to the anniversary celebrations of King George V of Great Britain. At one time, the Tiara was kept in the Bank of Great Britain. But with the outbreak of World War II she was transported to Austria. In 1948, together with its owner, the tiara moved to Switzerland, and from there to Argentina. In 1950, in the USA, she had to sell this family jewel. Buyer unknown.
Tiara of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Edinburgh.
Alexander II ordered this ruby set from the court jeweler Bolin as a wedding gift to his daughter Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, who in 1874 married the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Consort Albert, Duke Alfred of Edinburgh, from 1893 Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
The Duchess and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna gave this set to her daughter Alexandra for her wedding to Duke Ernst of Hohenlohe-Langeburg. Their son, the last of his kind, at one time married the Greek princess Margaret of Battenberg Mountbatten (elder sister of the Duke of Edinburgh, who is married to Elizabeth II) and she wore these treasures.
In 1978, this set was sold at Christie's auction.
V.book Maria Alexandrovna
Amethysts of Catherine the Great
Siberian amethysts were first mined around 1750 in the Urals. The quality of these amethysts was excellent, and, as a result, small and large stones began to be supplied to the Romanov mineral collections. Small stones were used for charming Rococo masterpieces during the times of Mother Elizabeth and Catherine the Great. The color of the stones corresponds to the taste of the era. Catherine II introduced jewelry made from Siberian amethyst, which belongs to the group of mineral quartz crystals, into the fashion of her time.
Catherine ordered at least two pairs of girandole earrings for herself. They are shown in this picture. Both pairs of earrings were originally part of the Romanov Diamond Fund, but ended up in that part of it that, according to the Bolsheviks, was not of great value and were sold at Christie's auction in London in 1927 to Mr. SJ Phillips.
The first pair of earrings shown here is the more complex of the two. They are mentioned in the catalog of a large sale of Romanov jewelry, prepared by academician A. E. Fersman under number 111. This is a very beautiful product, made in the court workshops in 1760 (according to Fersman) by an unknown author from silver and gold.
In 1927 the earrings sold for £135 GBP to Mr SJ Phillips in London.
The second pair of earrings (catalog no. 110) were made at the same time with similar materials. Their design is more expressive. This pair may have belonged to the first work of Louis David Duval, who arrived in Russia in 1753 to the court of the Tsarina.
Romanov tiaras and Queen Mary
It has long been known in the world that the best examples of Romanov jewelry ended up with Queen Marie.
She was very fond of jewelry and rich outfits. And she was also more like Queen Victoria in character and habits than all her nieces and grandchildren. And Queen Victoria was very jealous of the Romanov wealth.
See for yourself and compare:
Here is the tiara of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Elder (Michen), wife of the brother of Alexander III.
And here is Queen Marie of Teck wearing this tiara.
It is known that Mikhen took all her jewelry out of Russia and divided it between her sons before her death. The sons sold the jewelry.
Perhaps this tiara, like the “radiant” (kokoshnik) tiara, was bought by Meehan by Cartier, and then it came to Queen Mary.
The history of empress Maria Alexandrovna's emeralds
Empress Maria Alexandrovna had a wonderful parure of emeralds. In the diaries of her son Sergei there is a description of his mother in this parure; it consisted of a tiara, necklace, earrings and brooch.
After her death, the emerald parure went to her son Sergei.
In 1884, on June 4, when Sergei married the Hessian Princess Ella (in Russia she became Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna), he gave this parure to his bride as a wedding gift.
In Russian crown jewels, jewelers always provided for the possibility of replacing large stones with others, so they were often attached to tiaras with screws so that they could be changed.
This tiara - kokoshnik, which Ella often wore as a court decoration, is decorated with seven large emeralds that were part of the emerald parure of Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
The court jeweler Bolin made this tiara - a kokoshnik made of gold and silver, with seven emerald cabochons framed by an exquisite network of diamonds, which she received as a gift from the groom, and which were the jewelry of his adored mother. The ornament of stylized diamond lilies symbolized love and happiness.
After the death of her husband, when the widow gave away all her jewelry, she gave this tiara from Maria Alexandrovna’s jewelry to her husband’s brother Pavel. The brooch shown in the picture went to her brother, Duke Ernst-Ludwig of Hesse. He later gave it to his youngest son, Duke Ludwig of Hesse and the Rhine. and he, in turn, gave it to his cousin Dorothea of Hesse. In 1996, the brooch was sold at auction (as always, to an “unknown buyer”).
Thus, after the death of his brother, Pavel became the owner of his mother’s parure. By that time it consisted of a kokoshnik tiara, a luxurious necklace, where seven huge emerald cabochons were connected in an ornament of rhombuses and emeralds hung from them - drops attached to diamonds, and earrings in the same style - huge drops of emeralds were attached to large diamonds, as well as brooches, where a huge rare emerald cabochon was inserted into an ornament of diamonds, and a drop-shaped cabochon hung from it.
Pavel gave all this beauty to his daughter, Maria Pavlovna Jr., for her wedding with the Swedish Prince Wilhelm in 1908.
During the revolution, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Younger managed to escape to Romania. There she sold the tiara and necklace to King Alexander of Serbia, who later became King Alexander I of Yugoslavia, who gave it to his bride, Princess Maria of Romania (Mignon), as a wedding gift.
Thus, the family jewels ended up with the great-granddaughter of their owner, Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
In 1923, Maria ordered Cartier to remake the necklace into a completely new, impressive!-platinum sautoir. Experts considered it an outstanding work of this kind by Cartier.
The Queen could wear this chain, one might say, in different ways: as a long chain of emeralds connected by diamonds, as a large pendant, etc.
The last time Maria wore a tiara and sautoir was in 1944, for the wedding of her son Peter II with the Greek princess Alexandra in London.
Queen Alexandra wore them in 1947 at a reception-ball in honor of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth of England to Prince Philip Mountbatten of Greece.
Five years later, the tiara and sautoir were sold to the Parisian jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels.
The historical emeralds were removed from the tiara and sold individually.
However, due to its historical origin, the tiara has survived to this day. The sold emeralds were replaced with artificial ones, and it is now on display at the company's headquarters on Place Vendôme in Paris.
One can only guess what happened to the sautoir - as a jewel of this magnitude, it cannot currently be worn. So, it is very likely that it was dismantled... And perhaps sold in parts - or used to make other jewelry.
Thus ended the story of this parure (tiara and its set), which over the 90 years of its history belonged to five representatives of royal dynasties.
More about Windsor tiaras.
The so-called Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara (Vladimir) belongs to the personal collection of jewelry of Queen Elizabeth II. She inherited it from her grandmother Queen Mary after her death in 1953. The tiara took its name from Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, wife of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, third son of Tsar Alexander II and brother of Tsar Alexander III.
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna commissioned jewelers working at the Russian court to design and manufacture this exquisite tiara in 1890.
At the end of the 19th century, Russian jewelers preferred to include combinations of diamonds and pearls in their jewelry pieces, such as necklaces, earrings, tiaras and tiaras. It was in fashion at the time. Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara was conceived and executed in the traditions of the late 19th century and is a combination of diamonds and pearls.
After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 in Russia and the upheavals associated with it, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna Sr. fled with her family to the Caucasus, where she remained until 1920, in the hope of an improvement in the situation, and, nevertheless, left for Venice on an Italian ship on February 13, 1920
The Grand Duchess left her famous jewelry collection, including the Vladimir Tiara, hidden in a safe at the Vladimir Palace in St. Petersburg during her flight. Subsequently, members of the British Secret Intelligence Service, who were friends of Vladimir's family, helped them remove the jewelry from the safe and then smuggle it out of Russia via diplomatic pouch.
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna Sr. died shortly after settling in the south of France, in August 1920. Her tiara (Vladimir Tiara) was purchased by Queen Mary in 1921 from Princess Elena Vladimirovna, wife of Nicholas of Greece.
Tiara with original pearl pendants.
Queen Mary was famous for her collection of royal jewels and took pride in her magnificent use of jewelery for formal occasions. She considered herself a good jewelry designer and decided that the tiara needed to be improved.
She decided that it was necessary to make sure that pearl drops could be replaced with emerald ones when necessary. To suit different outfits.
She commissioned the court jewelers Garrard & Co. to remove and polish her fifteen remaining drop-shaped Cambridge emeralds, and to arrange for them to be mounted on the tiara when necessary, after the pearl drops had been removed.
This tiara became Queen Mary's favorite; she wore it with her family Cambridge or Indian emerald sets.
And this is how she looks with Cambridge emeralds.
Queen Elizabeth II wearing a tiara with emerald drops and an emerald Cambridge set.
The Queen actually gave this tiara to Diana to use when she was Princess of Wales.
She herself loves to wear it during ceremonial, but unofficial events, where she should be wearing a crown.
As evidenced by her official portraits.
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Jewelry collection of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, like all German princesses, when she arrived in Russia, had a very modest set of maiden rings. On the other hand, she was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England, and her jewelry collection began to develop from childhood. As you know, gifts for Christmas, birthdays and namesakes were obligatory.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in one of the crown tiaras
After acquiring the status of empress in November 1894, Alexandra Feodorovna had financial resources at her disposal that were completely prohibitive for her. But at the same time, she fully retained the habit of being careful with money. At first, she was wary of the extensive spending that was so common for the Russian Imperial Court, gradually getting used to the amounts of the bills. Over time, having gained control over the family’s finances, she still treated every ruble as if it were the last in the family wallet. Alexandra Fedorovna always remembered that a rainy day could come at any moment. Therefore, she was very sensitive to jewelry, realizing that their compactness and enormous value could help out the family if that rainy day came.
During the 23 years of the reign of Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna became a very rich woman. One of the manifestations of this wealth was her jewelry collection. By 1917, she had a brilliantly selected collection of jewelry worth a fabulous amount. According to some estimates, its value was about $50 million in 1917 prices. It is noteworthy that Alexandra Feodorovna kept her collection of jewelry literally at hand, in her bedroom of the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoe Selo. Part of the collection was kept by half of the imperial family in the Winter Palace. These jewels were not just dead weight. Alexandra Fedorovna actively used them both in everyday life and during ceremonial appearances.
The formation of Alexandra Fedorovna’s jewelry collection began in April 1894 during the already mentioned engagement in Coburg with the heir-prince of the Russian Empire. Then the crown prince's wedding gift was a ring with a pink pearl, a pearl necklace, a brooch made of sapphires and diamonds, and a unique chain-bracelet with a pendant made of a large emerald. Future father-in-law Alexander III sent his daughter-in-law a luxurious pearl necklace.
Large tiara with pearls. Work of the first quarter of the 19th century.
Speaking about the formation of Alexandra Fedorovna’s jewelry collection, we should also take into account the peculiarities of the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Some tension immediately arose between them. There were many reasons. We have already mentioned that the wedding ceremony of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna took place exactly a week after the funeral of Alexander III. Studded with crown diamonds, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, of course, put on the required happy face, but what did it cost her... On November 16, 1896, she wrote to her son George: “For me it was a real nightmare and such suffering... To be obliged to appear in public like this with a broken, bleeding heart - it was more than a sin, and I still don’t understand how I could decide to do this.”
Among other things, there was the issue of using crown jewels. The fact is that while still the reigning empress, Maria Feodorovna, using her right, selected for herself a collection of crown diamonds that had no equal. Having been widowed, she continued to wear them, since, according to the decree of Paul I, the dowager empress had the right of primacy over the reigning empress. Alexandra Feodorovna was ambitious and noted for herself that the Empress Mother was not going to give up her crown diamonds. It wasn’t even about the uniqueness or high cost of these products. It was about the women's championship. In 1894, Alexandra Feodorovna turned 22 years old, and the Dowager Empress Mother turned 47 years old, but she had absolutely no intention of giving up the battlefield. Therefore, Alexandra Feodorovna was forced to use the jewelry that “the crown princess traditionally wore; In addition, she had at her disposal the large and old-fashioned tiaras of Catherine II, which turned out to be too heavy for Empress Maria.” This partly pushed her to form her own jewelry collection.
Let us also mention that the young empress’s desire to form her own jewelry collection, including items in the Art Nouveau style she so loved, caused misunderstanding in the great world of St. Petersburg. One of the memoirists mentioned in her diary on November 1, 1897: “The young queen is so spoiled that she has nothing to her taste, the most expensive diamonds and so on. “Everything is not enough for her, she doesn’t like everything.”
The Empress, like any woman with opportunities, loved and knew about jewelry. For 1895–1896 Alexandra Feodorovna bought a lot of jewelry. Mass purchases of jewelry by the Empress began in 1896. In May and June, two bills were passed (for 3,025 rubles and 420 rubles) from K. Faberge. Among the items purchased were a green enamel cigarette case (750 rubles), an electric lamp “Dolphin” (800 rubles), etc. The fact that these were gifts is evidenced by the fact that all the items were bought “pooled together”, which is stated note on the account of Nicholas II: “Underlined prices in half for Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and I.”
The Empress, like the entire royal family, highly valued the talent of the craftsmen of K. Fabergé’s company and bought things from his company until 1917. Of course, for the imperial couple, jewelry was not limited only to things “about Faberge”. The couple willingly bought jewelry from other craftsmen, including items “by the artist Tifany.” From February to March 1899 in St. Petersburg, the Baron Stieglitz Museum hosted an International Art Exhibition, organized by the editors of the World of Art magazine. The imperial couple visited this exhibition and diplomatically purchased two vases “from Tifany” for 353 rubles. However, vases “from Tifany” were only an episode, and things “from Faberge” were everyday life.
So, in 1896, the Empress purchased a lot of small items from K. Faberge’s store, but for a very decent amount - 8899 rubles. 50 kopecks Among them were figurines of animals (21 pieces), three pairs of cufflinks, two crosses, 11 photo frames, a glass, a cup, a buckle, a fold, an icon, a medallion, two magnifying glasses, a pagoda, an easel, a notebook, a pin and a knife. Judging by the date, these were Christmas gifts.
Then, in January 1896, the young Empress Alexandra Feodorovna took part for the first time in a series of traditional large imperial balls in the Winter Palace. Naturally, the young couple were worried about how their debut in their new capacity would go?
On January 11, 1896, the first big court ball took place. Taking into account the fact that this was the first ball of the new reign, quite a lot of invitations were sent out (3500); in fact, 2500 people came to the ball. Naturally, the ladies carefully observed all the features of the empress’s outfit and, of course, her jewelry. One of the memoirists mentioned that Nicholas II was in a “scarlet Horse Guards uniform,” and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna “in a pale green” dress “with rubies.”
Emperor Nicholas II absorbed the Russianness of his father from childhood. And he, in turn, continued the tradition of “historical” balls. To some extent, this was a demonstration of ideological continuity. The grandiose costume ball held in the Winter Palace in 1903 was the last big ball of the Empire remembered by contemporaries. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich wrote in “Memoirs”: “On January 22, 1903, “all” Petersburg danced in the Winter Palace. I remember this date exactly, since it was the last big court ball in the history of the empire.” Let us clarify that there were large balls in the Winter Palace later, but it was this ball that was etched in the memory of contemporaries as “the last ball of the Empire.”
Nicholas II in fancy dress. 1903
Given the scale of the event, dozens of tailors were brought in to prepare the costumes. Just as during the historical ball of 1883, archival research was carried out in order to create the effect of maximum authenticity of the costumes from the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
Let us note that the “small royal outfit” of Nicholas II was, indeed, partly authentic. The sketch of the costume for the Tsar was developed by the director of the Hermitage I.A. Vsevolozhsky and artist of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theaters E.P. Ponomarev. Fabrics were ordered from the supplier of the Supreme Court, the Sapozhnikov company - two types of velvet and gold brocade. 38 authentic items of royal costumes of the 17th century were extracted from the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin. Of these, 16 items were selected for the costume of Nicholas II. Among them are pearl wrists that belonged to the son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. An authentic staff of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was used as an addition to the costume. The buttons and stripes on the suit were made in Russia in the 17th century.
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich. 1903
The costume for the Tsar was made by theatrical costume designer of the Imperial Theaters I.I. Caffey, who was assisted by two dressmakers, whose names have not been preserved. The royal hat was made in the hat workshop of the Bruno brothers, suppliers to the Imperial Court since 1872.
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich described the costumes of the ball participants as follows: “Xenia was in the dress of a noblewoman, richly embroidered, shining with jewels, which suited her very well. I was dressed in a falconer's dress, which consisted of a white and gold caftan, with golden eagles sewn on the chest and back, a pink silk shirt, blue trousers and yellow morocco boots. The rest of the guests followed the whims of their imagination and taste, remaining, however, within the framework of the 17th century era... Alix looked amazing, but the sovereign was not tall enough for his luxurious outfit. At the ball there was a competition for championship between Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna (Ella) and Princess Zinaida Yusupova. ...The ball was a great success and was repeated in every detail a week later in the house of the richest Count A.D. Sheremetev".
The famous ball was preceded by only one dress rehearsal, which took place February 10, 1903 All dancers rehearsed the intended performance in the Pavilion Hall of the Winter Palace. All the ladies were in sundresses and kokoshniks, the men were in costumes of archers, falconers, etc. The prepared “material” was personally examined by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and her elder sister Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna. It was assumed that these costumes would be worn three balls.
Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna. 1903
The next day, 11 February, took place first ball. In the evening, guests began to gather in the Romanov Gallery of the Winter Palace. Then the participants, walking in pairs, gave a Russian bow to the hosts of the ball in the Great (Nikolaev) Hall. Then a concert took place at the Hermitage Theater. After the performance in the Pavilion Hall, the ball participants danced the “Russian”. The dinner took place in the Spanish, Italian and Flemish halls of the Hermitage, where the evening table was served. Then the ball participants went back to the Pavilion Hall, and the evening ended with dancing.
February 13 1903 took place second part of the ball. 65 dancing officers in 17th-century costumes took part. Members of the royal family gathered in the Malachite Hall, the rest in the adjacent rooms. At 11 p.m., all participants moved to the Concert Hall, where behind a gilded grille on the podium there was a court orchestra dressed as Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich’s trumpeters, and 34 round tables were set up for dinner in the Great Nicholas Hall. Buffets were located in the Concert Hall and the Small Dining Room, tables with wine and tea were located in the Malachite Dining Room. After dinner, the hosts returned to the Concert Hall and danced until one in the morning. General waltzes, quadrilles and mazurkas began after the performance of three specially prepared dances: Russian, round dance and dance. The cavaliers were cavalry guards, horse guards and lancers.
The 14th of February the final third the ball, which took place in the house of Count A.D. Sheremetev.
As we have already mentioned, part of the jewelry from the costume of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna is still in the Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin.
Alexandra Fedorovna retained her jewelry preferences literally until 1917. If we look at the Empress’s accounts for 1914, we will also see three substantial accounts from the Faberge store: August 17 – for 1245 rubles; August 22 – by 25,560 rubles. and December 18 – by 1845 rubles.
Commenting on the dynamics and range of jewelry acquisitions of the Empress in 1914, I would like to note that purchases for very significant sums were made by the Empress precisely in the second half of August 1914, when Russia had already entered the First World War. At the same time, a number of studies rightly draw attention to the fact that after the outbreak of the war, the volume of purchases in the stores of Faberge and other jewelers increased sharply. This is explained by the fact that after the outbreak of the war, the Russian aristocracy began to invest available funds in jewelry, insuring their savings in case of war shocks and inflation. In this context, an invoice dated August 22, 1914 from Faberge for 25,560 rubles. very characteristic, especially since the empress’s practicality is well known.
The Empress also bought jewelry from other craftsmen. For example, Eduard Bolin. In 1895, he presented the Empress with two bills (January 23 and March 9) for Easter gifts. Among the purchased jewelry are a diamond brooch (120 rubles), a blue enamel egg with roses (45 rubles), a red enamel egg (70 rubles), a ruby egg with diamonds (60 rubles), a red enamel egg with roses (45 rubles .). Only 340 rubles.
According to two May accounts (May 13 and 28), the following were purchased: a ring with sapphire and diamonds (320 rubles), a bracelet with sapphire and diamonds (1,300 rubles), a necklace and two bracelets with rubies and diamonds (4,440 rubles). Alexandra Fedorovna bought all these things in half with her husband.
Also among the empress's jewelers, the names of Butts, Gan, Gau, Grachev, Kekhli, Kuznetsov, Lyubavin, Ovchinnikov are constantly mentioned. Most of the jewelry items purchased were given as gifts. To whom and what did they give? Gifts were given to relatives, dignitaries close to the court, ladies-in-waiting, doctors, etc. It is curious that even servants received jewelry gifts. So, at the end of 1895, Alexandra Fedorovna, having “changed” with Nicholas II, gave the village nurse of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna a “modest” gold parure for 200 rubles.
Jewelers were also ordered such exclusive items as a stone jade seal engraved with the Small Coat of Arms of the Empress (450 rubles) and a steel seal with engraving of the Small Coat of Arms of the Empress (240 rubles).
A significant part of Alexandra Fedorovna’s jewelry collection was made up of gifts from relatives. Every year, on name days and namesake days, she received gifts from her husband, mother-in-law and numerous relatives. In addition, according to tradition, after the birth of children, a grateful husband gave his wife expensive jewelry gifts.
Nicholas II was impressed by his wife’s weakness for jewelry. The Empress knew how to impress, appearing at official appearances strewn with diamonds. Nicholas II constantly gave his wife expensive jewelry gifts. Some idea of them can be obtained from the letters of Chamber Frau Empress M.I. Geringer. There is mention there that in May 1903 the Tsar gave Alexandra Feodorovna a diamond brooch with pink topazes. In June 1903, for her name day, Nicholas II gave his wife a cross decorated with 11 large diamonds, a large brooch with five large and nine small aquamarines, and a “Galique” comb with three large and small diamonds. A silver chain with 12 balls made of various precious stones was presented by the elder sister, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna. For Christmas 1902, Nicholas II gave Alexandra Feodorovna a tiara decorated with small diamonds and five pink topazes. And there are many such examples.
I.S. Galkin. Portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. 1894
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. 1899
Since the royal couple visited few places, leading a secluded lifestyle, having moved to live in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoe Selo, the empress used her jewelry collection to appear at dinner every day (at 8 pm) “in an open dress and diamonds.”
This family tradition of wearing diamonds for dinner was preserved regardless of where the imperial couple was, in their permanent residence or on vacation, on the imperial yacht “Standard”. On the yacht, as in the palace, dinner began at 8 pm. For dinner, all those invited changed their clothes, and after everyone gathered in the large dining room of the yacht, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna came out. Unlike Nicholas II, who was quite democratic in everyday life, of course, not forgetting for a second that he was an emperor and dozens of eyes were constantly fixed on him, Alexandra Fedorovna always demonstrated that she empress, and she is exactly came out“in a mass of precious stones, and this assortment changed every day; If the empress wore diamonds, then they were on her head, in a diadem, and on her hands, in bracelets and various brooches. If these were emeralds, then everything consisted of them, the same with sapphires and rubies.”
K.E. Makovsky. Portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in coronation dress
Lily Den, who entered Alexandra Feodorovna’s inner circle in the last years before the revolution, testified that “the empress really loved rings and bracelets and always wore a ring with a large pearl, as well as a cross studded with precious stones (apparently sapphires).” The officer of the yacht “Standard” mentions that “the empress usually wore, in addition to the wedding ring, only one huge pearl and emerald, rather unimportant, but probably expensive from some memory.”
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in the Lilac Drawing Room of the Alexander Palace
Few people outside the imperial family knew about the Empress's jewelry collection. She did not like to shine in society, neglecting even the obligatory official ceremonies. Therefore, by the spring of 1917, the Provisional Government did not have accurate information about the structure and value of the Empress’s jewelry collection. The “temporaries” simply asked to transfer the jewelry “for safekeeping” to the new authorities.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in the Maple Drawing Room of the Alexander Palace
It should be noted that in the jewelry collection of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, along with items of colossal value, there were quite cheap items that were dear to members of the imperial family for the memories with which they were associated. For example, in the summer season of 1909, the officers of the imperial yacht “Standard” “started the custom of presenting small gifts to the princesses on the day of the angel and birth, and this year Tatyana Nikolaevna received the first brooch, which depicted a lifebuoy made of white enamel, with a weather vane. The Grand Duchess was very proud that she was the first to receive this trifle, and not some jewel from Faberge.” It is characteristic that the memoirist especially emphasizes the fact that the trinket was ordered by the officers not from the officially familiar Faberge, but from the ordinary St. Petersburg jeweler Kortman.
Returning to the summer of 1917, it must be said that Alexandra Fedorovna handed over to the Provisional Government what was well known: the famous Easter eggs of the masters of Faberge and a number of products that were difficult to transport. And since the Provisional Government’s political problems began to rapidly increase, Alexandra Feodorovna managed to preserve almost her entire collection of jewelry and she took some of it to Tobolsk, and then to Yekaterinburg.
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