Thanks for the information and pictures, queenofthelight!
The Holy Icons were indeed some of the most treasured possessions of the Imperil Family.
The pieces of art, porcelain, jewellery and textiles from Galerie Popoff that are to be auctioned at Christies next month were today introduced in Moscow
I had the pleasure of attending the presentation, which took place in Bolshoi Theatre's atrium: it was quite magnificent. You can see a small video from presentation
here (the link is accompanied by an article in Russian).
Here is the translation of what Alexis de Tiesenhausen, International Head of Russian Art, says in the video:
"I have never even held anything like this for the past 25 years. For example, the cup and saucer made for Catherine the Great’s coronation.* Cup and saucer made in the Imperial Porcelain Factory for Nicholas II. The cup made for Emperor Paul I: it is a great rarity because if you look carefully, you will see the Maltese Cross inside**.
A bit of additional information on the items mentioned by Alexis de Tiesenhausen:
* The cup and saucer were made to celebrate the coronation of Catherine the Great in 1762. They were made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg. These pieces of porcelain are unique because they are thought to be the only surviving pieces from the special set made at the Imperial Factory. This lot is unique because the cover is crowned with the two headed Imperial Eagle: no other similar lot exists even in the best and most prestigious collections. It is estimated to be sold for £150,000-170,000.
** The Cup was also made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory by a special order from Paul I. The decorations, including the Maltese cross, where his design.
*** At the very end of the video, one of the highlights of the auction is shown: the part of a porcelain service made for Grand Duke Paul Petrovich (future Paul I). The service was commissioned by Emperor Frederick II of Prussia and was made at the Royal Berlin Porcelain Factory in 1778. All the pieces featured the Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire and the Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Hollstein-Gottorp (Pauls' patriarchal Arms).
The auction will also include other pieces connected with the Imperial Family. Here are details on some of them:
- Many pieces of porcelain ordered by Catherine the Great, Grand Duke Paul (Paul I), Empress Maria Feodorovna, Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The collection includes a great variety, from pieces that will start at £2,000, to the aforementioned Paul I service, which is estimated to take some £200,000- 300,000.
- The gorgeous Orlov Service commissioned by Catherine the Great and made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in 1763 for Count Grigoriy Grigorevich Orlov. The sale will include 3 plates from the Orlov service: each piece is decorated with interlaced Cyrillic ГГО (GGO - Grigoriy Grigorevich Orlov) and features scenes and trophies from Orlov's military career. It is estimated to be sold for £80,000-100,000.
- A great range of magnificent Russian watercolours by some of the most prominent Russian artists of the early 19th century, including Alexander and Karl Briullov, Piotr Sokolov, Alexei Venetsianov and Vladimir and Edward Hau. The watercolours from Popoff collection are truly exceptional because of their quality and because of the people depicted on them. One of the watercolours portrays Natalia Nikolaevna Pushkina, the wife of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. It is the only portrait in private collection and is estimated to take £120,000-160,000.
Another highlight is the portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna by Piotr Sokolov: it is widely considered to be one of Sokolov's best works and is estimated to be sold for £100,000 -150,000. There is also a portrait of Giovanina Pacini, daughter of Countess Julia Samoilova (the richest woman in the Russian Empire) by Karl Briullov. Giovanina was Karl's model on a number of occasions and they were said to be romantically involved with each other, until Giovanina's family put stop to it. Its estimate is £100,000-120,000.
- Wonderful works of Russian art and textiles, including splendid kokoshniks, sarafans and scarves. They are estimated from £1,400 to £12,000.
- A commemorative gold medal of the All-Russia Industrial and Art Exhibition held in 1896 in Nizhniy Novgorod. On one side, the medal shows the profile of Nicholas II. The other side depicts the city-shape of Nizhniy Novgorod and Mother Russia. It is estimated to be sold for £8,000-12,000.
- Another highlight of the collection is Auguste Montferrand’s delicately drawn study for the monument of Nicholas I in St Isaac’s Square. It will be sold with Montferrand’s other original drawings of the structure and the sculpture of the monument. It is estimated to take £70,000-100,000. Montferrand is the architect of two of St Petersburg's most distinguished squares - the Palace Square and St. Isaac's Square.
