Imperial Jewels of Catherine the Great and Nicholas II Head to Auction
An astounding selection of precious jewelry that once belonged to the Romanovs will hit the block at Sotheby’s on June 17
The Czars of Russia spent centuries accumulating one of the most eye-popping jewelry collections ever assembled, only to lose it all. While much of it is now on display at the Kremlin, parts of the collection had disappeared for over a century. A few dazzling examples of the sheer quality and brilliance of the Russian crown jewels have just resurfaced, and will be on display at Sotheby’s Breuer building headquarters in New York beginning June 11, followed by an auction set for June 17.
The former Romanov jewels in the forthcoming “Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Gold Boxes, Silver & Ceramics” include old-mine cut floral diamond dress trimmings prized by Catherine the Great in her quest to outdo Versailles and the crowned heads of Western Europe at collecting sparkle. They have been in private collections since the U.S.S.R. sold them in 1927, and have been out of the public eye since then. Many of the items in that sale are thought to be lost, so it is special that these unique, historic items resurfaced.
There’s also a Fabergé aquamarine necklace that belonged to the last Czarina, Alexandra Feodorovna. Its creation by Fabergé head jeweler Albert Holmström is fully documented, rare given the destruction of Fabergé studios by the Soviets. The stunning work even comes with its original box.
The sale is a highlight of Sotheby’s Luxury Week. It is also the debut of the Artistic Luxury Sale, a feature of Luxury Week that will offer works with unique historical provenance. “These jewels carry with them a fascinating window into the luxury and opulence of the Russian Imperial court,” said Helen Culver Smith, Global Head of Fabergé & Russian Works of Art at Sotheby’s, continuing, “It is difficult to overstate their rarity and historical importance, and I am truly thrilled to be presenting them side by side for the first time.”
Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the original owner of the oldest creation in the sale, a diamond and Ceylon sapphire ornament that she would have pinned to her court garments, might smile at the current possibilities for it. The trendsetting Empress was on to the sharp use of a brilliant pin in menswear-as-womenswear: Elizabeth, a voracious partier, was proud of her legs and loved to throw balls where dressing as the opposite gender was required so that she could dispense with voluminous 18th-century gowns, and show off her legs in stockings and breeches. The gold-backed, bejeweled wheat and cornflower spray that she would have pinned to her court garments would look splendid on a lapel during the red carpet at an awards show, no matter who wears it.
