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Romanov Exhibitions in London Posted by Thomas on November 10, 2018, 8:28 am The much expected winter exhibition of The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace, "Russia, Royalty & the Romanovs", opened today. In preparing the exhibition, it seems the Royal Collection's curators have delved deep in the vaults, unveiling a number of paintings, photographs, letters, insignia of orders, personal and official mementos, Fabergé and jewels. Many objects are on public display for the first time. The Vladimir Tiara, naturally presented with its pearls, must look statelier than ever among Russian treasures: Check this twitter post with close-ups of the tiara: https://twitter.com/MmeGuillotine/status/1060525464207441920 At long last, we got a good picture of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee brooch, by Fabergé, 1895-97. Presented by her grandchildren and bequeathed to Princess Christian. (RCIN 250482) The RCT website also released an extensive presentation, which allows us to get a very good glimpse into this wonderful display (click on each of the sections to see the objects): https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/exhibitions/russia-royalty-the-romanovs/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace/the-exhibition Highlights of the exhibit are for instance the gifts received by the Princess of Wales (later Queen Mary) at Cowes regatta in the summer of 1909, on what was to be the last visit of the Romanovs to England, such as this remarkable amethyst pendant-brooch (attributed to Fabergé); or the lavish insignia of the First Class of the Order of St Catherine. Queen Mary's Star and Badge of the Order of St Catherine: Insignia are indeed highlighted in the display, as they span over more than a century of exchanges between Russia and the United Kingdom. It seems that an important amount of research was conducted as illustrated notices on the Russian orders of Edward VII, George V and Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria have been made available to the public, revealing the amount of hidden treasures still to be published in the RC. Order of St Catherine, First Class Star of Queen Alexandra (RCIN 441523) with the Badge of Princess Victoria (RCIN 442059). As you may expect from a collection enriched by the passion of Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary, Fabergé objects have an important part in the display, with no less than three eggs (the Mosaic, the Colonnade and the Basket of Flowers), frames, surprises (such as the wonderful ivory Elephant purchased by George V in 1935), cigarette cases, carved figures, flowers; or the most poignant portrait of the five children of the last Tsar; all lasting tributes to the splendour of the Russian Court. Mikhail Perkhin (1860-1903), Frame with a portrait miniature of Tsarina Marie Feodorovna c.1895, Four-colour gold, guilloché enamel, ivory, watercolour | 9.0 x 7.8 x 7.3 cm (whole object) | RCIN 40107 A cigarette case, fortieth wedding anniversary present to King Edward VII, from the Dowager Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, on 10 March 1903. [ALL PICTURES FROM THE BUCKINGHAM EXHIBITION: Royal Collection Trust - © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II] To everyone planning to visit the exhibition, there is another wonderful Romanov exhibition in London: "The Last Tsar: Blood and Revolution" at the Science Museum It presents two further Imperial Fabergé Eggs, The Imperial Red Cross Fabergé Egg from 1915 (on loan from the Cleveland Museum of Art) and the Imperial Steel Easter Egg, sent to Nicholas II (on the front) in 1916 (on loan from Moscow's Kremlin Museums), as well as jewellery found in the graves and at the execution site in Ekaterinburg. Empress Alexandra’s diamond and pearl ear-stud, found with her remains. Empress Alexandra’s diamond and emerald cross, a gift from her mother-in-law, found in the room where the family was executed in Ipatiev House (Image: Russian History Foundation, Jordanville, NY) The Red Cross Egg https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/last-tsar-blood-and-revolution?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=L%20AP%20faberge%20egg%2016.09.18&utm_content=image%20link#&gid=1&pid=1 https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/revealing-the-romanov-mystery/ https://royalrussia.news/2018/09/20/london-exhibit-features-unique-items-on-the-last-tsar/ https://www.1843magazine.com/culture/look-closer/myth-science-and-the-fate-of-the-romanovs

Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London Posted by Beth on November 10, 2018, 8:47 am, in reply to "Romanov Exhibitions in London" Many thanks Thomas. Another stunning article for us all to savour. I am delighted you have included so many links, which I will read at leisure tonight. I had no idea that one of Empress Alexandra's earrings or the emerald cross had been found. I have some information about the Order of St Catherine which I found ages ago in The Lady's Realm vol IX. Christie's auctioned at least two sets of insignia in recent years, but I have not made a note of the links and must leave for an appointment now.

Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine Posted by Beth on November 10, 2018, 6:36 pm, in reply to "Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London" Queen Alexandra wore the Order of St Catherine very frequently to grand court functions; however, I have not been able to identify it in any of the photographs I have of her. The reports below are typical of press reports of Queen Alexandra's dress etc. 1884 This report also shows that Princess Beatrice had been given the order. 1890 1883

Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine Posted by Franck on November 11, 2018, 12:12 am, in reply to "Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine" Thomas ! you are great ! Thank you so much for your great summary !! Franck Previous Message Queen Alexandra wore the Order of St Catherine very frequently to grand court functions; however, I have not been able to identify it in any of the photographs I have of her. The reports below are typical of press reports of Queen Alexandra's dress etc. 1884 This report also shows that Princess Beatrice had been given the order. 1890 1883

Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine Posted by Thomas on November 11, 2018, 11:09 pm, in reply to "Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine" As your reports show, the Order was almost part of her 'uniform', and Alexandra wore it most often as Pss of Wales, either full sash and star, only the star, and later in life - it seems - as a small miniature badge with her family orders. The order was probably a useful part of her ornaments, with its bright red riband and jewelled insignia. Here at wedding of Princess Maud of Wales, 22 July 1896 (RCIN 2940422) She has secured the sash with a horseshoe brooch! Here with the star only, ca 1887 (with stars in the Rundell Tiara) It seems she played with her insignia, folding the riband to make it thinner. As we all know, Alexandra was always most aware of her appearance! Ca 1881 (RCIN 2514208) We should bear in mind that in those days, the vast majority of royal ladies didn't wear orders as we know them today, with sash and star. In Britain, only QV wore the sash of the orders she was Sovereign of, and her female attendants only had Foreign orders to wear on sashes. QV was certainly aware of this fact, as she allowed the recipients of the (Royal Family) Order of Victoria and Albert, First Class, to wear the badge on a 2 inches wide white moiré sash, hanging on the left hip. We know from a few photographs that Alexandra also used this sash, at least once, at the York wedding in 1893, which was a purely British affair. (and she wore the star of St Catherine nonetheless) Yet, it seems she prefered wearing the Order of St Catherine. After her husband's accession, the Queen wore the Order of the Garter at all Courts, with family orders, and a number of miniatures which are quite difficult to make out in photographs, including a small cross of the Order of St Catherine (just above the Garter Star): The Queen Dowager on 15 October 1913, photographed by Downey (Fife-Connaught wedding) Alexandra's Insignia, ca 1860 (RCINs 441523 and 441522): They are of very high quality manufacture (depending on the rank of the Lady, the quality of the diamonds varied considerably).

Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine Posted by Dave on November 11, 2018, 11:57 pm, in reply to "Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine" Very nice of you Thomas, very informative. Could you say what elements are on HM's necklace in the second picture? And is the necklace chain in diamonds or pearls? Regards, Dave. Previous Message As your reports show, the Order was almost part of her 'uniform', and Alexandra wore it most often as Pss of Wales, either full sash and star, only the star, and later in life - it seems - as a small miniature badge with her family orders. The order was probably a useful part of her ornaments, with its bright red riband and jewelled insignia. Here at wedding of Princess Maud of Wales, 22 July 1896 (RCIN 2940422) She has secured the sash with a horseshoe brooch! Here with the star only, ca 1887 (with stars in the Rundell Tiara) It seems she played with her insignia, folding the riband to make it thinner. As we all know, Alexandra was always most aware of her appearance! Ca 1881 (RCIN 2514208) We should bear in mind that in those days, the vast majority of royal ladies didn't wear orders as we know them today, with sash and star. In Britain, only QV wore the sash of the orders she was Sovereign of, and her female attendants only had Foreign orders to wear on sashes. QV was certainly aware of this fact, as she allowed the recipients of the (Royal Family) Order of Victoria and Albert, First Class, to wear the badge on a 2 inches wide white moiré sash, hanging on the left hip. We know from a few photographs that Alexandra also used this sash, at least once, at the York wedding in 1893, which was a purely British affair. (and she wore the star of St Catherine nonetheless) Yet, it seems she prefered wearing the Order of St Catherine. After her husband's accession, the Queen wore the Order of the Garter at all Courts, with family orders, and a number of miniatures which are quite difficult to make out in photographs, including a small cross of the Order of St Catherine (just above the Garter Star): The Queen Dowager on 15 October 1913, photographed by Downey (Fife-Connaught wedding) Alexandra's Insignia, ca 1860 (RCINs 441523 and 441522): They are of very high quality manufacture (depending on the rank of the Lady, the quality of the diamonds varied considerably).

Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine Posted by Beth on November 12, 2018, 6:12 pm, in reply to "Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine" Fascinating! Thank you Thomas. So I have been looking at items from the Order of St Catherine for years without realising it! Queen Ena's star of the Order was auctioned by Christie's in 2016 https://www.christies.com/features/A-rare-Imperial-Russian-order-7880-1.aspx A small cross was sold by Christie's in 2007 https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/smaller-cross-of-the-order-of-st-4929711-details.aspx And a full set of the insignia (belonging to Grand Duchess Militza Nikolaevna) was sold in 2007 https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-full-set-of-insignia-of-the-5002366-details.aspx

Re: Order of St Catherine Posted by Thomas on November 13, 2018, 12:14 am, in reply to "Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine" The Order was widely distributed to the royal women of Europe, so you have probably seen it more often than you think! A number of insignia have surfaced at auction over the years, or are known to be in private/public collections. A peculiar small Badge belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna (location unknown): A set from the Norvegian Royal collections (probably set with paste): Badge of the First Class awarded to Queen Sophia of Sweden in 1857, on display at the Royal Palace in Stockholm: A very rare Star made by Röthe in Vienna for a member of the Habsburg Imperial Family, put up for sale and withdrawn by a member of this dynasty: First Class Badge attributed to Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna (c. 1882) [Sotheby's]: (you can see the very poor quality of the stones) First Class Badge attributed to Queen Louise of Prussia (very unlikely provenance): First Class Badge of Queen Louise of Denmark (Christian VIII's Palace, Amalienborg, Copenhagen): A beautiful early Badge, late 18th century (Washington, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens): Previous Message Fascinating! Thank you Thomas. So I have been looking at items from the Order of St Catherine for years without realising it! Queen Ena's star of the Order was auctioned by Christie's in 2016 https://www.christies.com/features/A-rare-Imperial-Russian-order-7880-1.aspx A small cross was sold by Christie's in 2007 https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/smaller-cross-of-the-order-of-st-4929711-details.aspx And a full set of the insignia (belonging to Grand Duchess Militza Nikolaevna) was sold in 2007 https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-full-set-of-insignia-of-the-5002366-details.aspx

Re: Order of St Catherine Posted by Beth on November 13, 2018, 8:02 am, in reply to "Re: Order of St Catherine" Thank you Thomas. The badge said to have belonged to the Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna appears to have such a mix of different quality stones that I am inclined to think that, at some stage, the badge was mined for some of its stones.

Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine Posted by Thomas on November 12, 2018, 11:34 pm, in reply to "Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine" Thanks Dave! Regarding the ornament in the second picture, I think it is composed of multiple strands of pearls, joined by small diamond elements. It was probably assembled temporarily. Previous Message Very nice of you Thomas, very informative. Could you say what elements are on HM's necklace in the second picture? And is the necklace chain in diamonds or pearls? Regards, Dave. Previous Message As your reports show, the Order was almost part of her 'uniform', and Alexandra wore it most often as Pss of Wales, either full sash and star, only the star, and later in life - it seems - as a small miniature badge with her family orders. The order was probably a useful part of her ornaments, with its bright red riband and jewelled insignia. Here at wedding of Princess Maud of Wales, 22 July 1896 (RCIN 2940422) She has secured the sash with a horseshoe brooch! Here with the star only, ca 1887 (with stars in the Rundell Tiara) It seems she played with her insignia, folding the riband to make it thinner. As we all know, Alexandra was always most aware of her appearance! Ca 1881 (RCIN 2514208) We should bear in mind that in those days, the vast majority of royal ladies didn't wear orders as we know them today, with sash and star. In Britain, only QV wore the sash of the orders she was Sovereign of, and her female attendants only had Foreign orders to wear on sashes. QV was certainly aware of this fact, as she allowed the recipients of the (Royal Family) Order of Victoria and Albert, First Class, to wear the badge on a 2 inches wide white moiré sash, hanging on the left hip. We know from a few photographs that Alexandra also used this sash, at least once, at the York wedding in 1893, which was a purely British affair. (and she wore the star of St Catherine nonetheless) Yet, it seems she prefered wearing the Order of St Catherine. After her husband's accession, the Queen wore the Order of the Garter at all Courts, with family orders, and a number of miniatures which are quite difficult to make out in photographs, including a small cross of the Order of St Catherine (just above the Garter Star): The Queen Dowager on 15 October 1913, photographed by Downey (Fife-Connaught wedding) Alexandra's Insignia, ca 1860 (RCINs 441523 and 441522): They are of very high quality manufacture (depending on the rank of the Lady, the quality of the diamonds varied considerably).

Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine Posted by Dave on November 13, 2018, 1:39 pm, in reply to "Re: Romanov Exhibitions in London. Queen Alexandra and Order of St Catherine" Thanks Thomas. Regards, Dave. Previous Message Thanks Dave! Regarding the ornament in the second picture, I think it is composed of multiple strands of pearls, joined by small diamond elements. It was probably assembled temporarily. Previous Message Very nice of you Thomas, very informative. Could you say what elements are on HM's necklace in the second picture? And is the necklace chain in diamonds or pearls? Regards, Dave. Previous Message As your reports show, the Order was almost part of her 'uniform', and Alexandra wore it most often as Pss of Wales, either full sash and star, only the star, and later in life - it seems - as a small miniature badge with her family orders. The order was probably a useful part of her ornaments, with its bright red riband and jewelled insignia. Here at wedding of Princess Maud of Wales, 22 July 1896 (RCIN 2940422) She has secured the sash with a horseshoe brooch! Here with the star only, ca 1887 (with stars in the Rundell Tiara) It seems she played with her insignia, folding the riband to make it thinner. As we all know, Alexandra was always most aware of her appearance! Ca 1881 (RCIN 2514208) We should bear in mind that in those days, the vast majority of royal ladies didn't wear orders as we know them today, with sash and star. In Britain, only QV wore the sash of the orders she was Sovereign of, and her female attendants only had Foreign orders to wear on sashes. QV was certainly aware of this fact, as she allowed the recipients of the (Royal Family) Order of Victoria and Albert, First Class, to wear the badge on a 2 inches wide white moiré sash, hanging on the left hip. We know from a few photographs that Alexandra also used this sash, at least once, at the York wedding in 1893, which was a purely British affair. (and she wore the star of St Catherine nonetheless) Yet, it seems she prefered wearing the Order of St Catherine. After her husband's accession, the Queen wore the Order of the Garter at all Courts, with family orders, and a number of miniatures which are quite difficult to make out in photographs, including a small cross of the Order of St Catherine (just above the Garter Star): The Queen Dowager on 15 October 1913, photographed by Downey (Fife-Connaught wedding) Alexandra's Insignia, ca 1860 (RCINs 441523 and 441522): They are of very high quality manufacture (depending on the rank of the Lady, the quality of the diamonds varied considerably).

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