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Review: The Jewels of the Romanovs: Family & Court (2013)

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(image via Amazon.com)
A few weeks ago, I tweeted a photo of the cover of the book I’d just received in the mail — today’s royal jewelry book, Stefano Papi’s The Jewels of the Romanovs: Family and Court — and asked if anyone would like to read a review of it. The response was swift: those of you who follow me on Twitter were as excited about the book as I was. (Not following me on Twitter? Head over here!) I’ve been slowly working my way through the book ever since, and I’m pleased to say that this one’s a winner for me.

Alexandra Feodorovna, the last tsarina of Russia

As the title suggests, Papi’s book covers jewels worn by members of the Russian imperial family and by the aristocrats who inhabited the rarified world of their court. The version of the book that I’m reviewing is the second edition, published last October; a previous edition was released in 2010. The second edition advertises that it is “revised and expanded”; I do not have the first edition in my library, so I can’t comment on what specific changes were made between the two. But I can say this: the second edition of the book is glossy, voluminous, and packed with rare photographs of the Romanovs and their treasures.

Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma and his wife, Princess Maria Pia of Savoy

Papi, who has worked for both Sotheby’s and Christie’s, has connections that have allowed him access to jewelers’ archives, royal collections, and numerous other resources. (The book even opens with a brief message from Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma, the great-nephew of Tsarina Marie Feodorovna.) The book reflects this breadth, clocking in at 352 heavy, glossy pages. It’s a behemoth of a thing, weighing more than five pounds, suitable for coffee-table perusing. Thames and Hudson, the American publishers, have produced a lovely book, with clear, crisp photographs and an expensive feel. My new, shrink-wrapped copy had only one small flaw when I opened it; an indentation on the pages of one chapter, suggesting that something went slightly awry with the press during printing. But that small flaw did not detract from the splendor within the pages.

Illustration of the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra

The book is divided into six chapters. The first focuses on the family of the last tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, including significant content on the final Russian imperial coronation ceremony (including a large version of the illustration pictured above). From there, the book moves on in its second chapter to discuss the jewels of some of Nicholas II’s close relatives, including the Edinburgh/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha family, Grand Duke Sergei and Grand Duchess Ella, the Yusapov princes, and the family of Grand Duke Vladimir.

Marie of Romania

Chapter three focuses on the jewelry collections of four women — Marie of Romania, Marthe Bibesco, the Marchioness of Ripon, and Nancy Leeds. Here the connections to the Romanovs get a bit more tenuous, but that’s a minor quibble, especially when fantastic photographs of their jewels are on offer. The fourth chapter explores the influence of Parisian style, especially French jewelers, on the court of St. Petersburg. The final two chapters of the book explore the last years of the Romanov dynasty, with the fifth chapter centering on the deaths of the imperial family and the sixth on what happened to the Romanov jewels after the Russian Revolution.

Laurits Tuxen’s painting of the wedding of Nicholas II of Russia and Alix of Hesse

Papi’s book offers a great deal of text — lots of names, dates, and explanations of how various families are linked and where various jewels were worn. But while the text is good, the photographs are the absolute star of the show. The book reproduces large photos of individual jewels that have survived, as well as black-and-white archival photos of those pieces that have vanished. There are also numerous photographs of women wearing their jewels, plus photos of events like weddings, coronations, and family gatherings. The last chapter is full of chilling photos of jewels being inventoried, displayed, and handled by the post-imperial government.

If you’re looking for a concise history on Russian jewels, I’m not sure this is exactly the book for you. If you’re a complete newcomer to the history of the Romanovs and their centuries-long dynasty, you might want to pick up a biography or two to supplement this piece. But if you’re not unfamiliar with the splendor of imperial Russia, this book will be an absolute treat. It’s one of those books that is best savored over a long period of time, leafing slowly through the pages to marvel at each piece of glittering historical jewelry.

Tsarina Marie Feodorovna, born Princess Dagmar of Denmark

You might guess that a book like this one costs a decent amount of money. And you’d be right — the publisher’s suggested retail price for the book is $75. But you can easily find it for significantly less money. I purchased my copy through Amazon, where a new copy cost just under $50, and where used copies were advertised for slightly less. The second edition of the book is not yet a year old, so finding decent used copies may be difficult; however, the first edition of the book was published in 2010, so you may be able to find versions of that edition for even less money. All that said — this is a book that I believe is worth the money I spent on it. The quality of the printing is high, and it is a very substantial tome.

If you’d like to buy a copy through Amazon, and you’d like a small percentage of the sale to go toward supporting this blog, please consider clicking through one of the links on this post. I’m excited to add that I was able to off-set some of the cost of this particular book through revenue that I earned through those affiliate links. I always route those funds right back into books and materials for this site, so every purchase there helps yield more glittering royal jewel book reviews in the future!

Saturday Sparkler: Alexandra Feodorovna’s Emerald Tiara

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Detail of Bodarevsky’s 1907 portrait of Alexandra Feodorovna (source)

This July marks the 96th anniversary of the assassination of the last tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family. In the century that has nearly passed since their deaths, the court of the tragic Romanovs has become the stuff of history and legend, and the jewels that adorned the Romanova women have become objects of significant fascination. Today, we’re looking at an emerald tiara that was created for the country’s last empress: Alexandra Feodorovna.

The tiara, pictured in Fersman’s Russian jewel catalogue (source)

The emerald and diamond tiara was part of a larger parure that Alix ordered from a pair of famous Russian jewelers — Bolin and Faberge — in 1900. Sophia Schwan, a jeweler working for Bolin, was responsible for creating the parure’s tiara and necklace, while Oscar Piel, working for Fabergé, made a large coordinating devant-de-corsage. The tiara is also sometimes referred to as a “coronet” or a “circlet,” because it piece forms a complete circle. In Jewels of the Romanovs, Stefano Papi notes that the tiara and necklace were “made in great haste” by Schwan, but doesn’t clarify the reasons why.

The necklace, pictured in Fersman’s Russian jewel catalogue (source)

The diamonds used in the tiara were sourced from South Africa; some sources have suggested that the large emeralds used were from Colombian mines. (You’ll sometimes see this called the “Colombian tiara” for that reason.) The largest emerald is the one set in the front of the circlet; Papi notes that this “quadrangular sugarloaf cabochon emerald” measures approximately “23 carats.” The tiara includes alternating ribbon and scroll motifs, with emerald and diamond floral elements set in the center of each scroll. The necklace, pictured above, also featured ribbon and scroll designs.

The Bodarevsky portrait (source)

Alix was painted in the tiara and devant-de-corsage from the parure in 1907 by Nikolai Bodarevsky. (She did not wear the complete parure in the portrait; the Bolin necklace is not included.) Although this portrait is perhaps the only extant image of the tsarina wearing pieces from her emerald parure, we know a little bit more about the circlet’s eventual fate.

The Soviets’ 1922 inventory of the imperial jewels

Sadly, the tiara and the necklace are visible among the pieces pictured on the famous “table” inventory illustration made by the Soviets in 1922. (The emeralds are the sixth set of jewels from the left. The devant-de-corsage is probably among the rest of the pieces depicted.) Nearly all of the jewels on the table were either auctioned or broken up. The emeralds haven’t been seen in public since they were photographed and catalogued in the mid-1920s by A.E. Fersman. It would be nice to hope that they’re lurking somewhere in the shadows, hidden away in a private collection. Unfortunately, though, I think it’s much more likely that they were eventually dismantled.

The Top Ten: Royal Emeralds

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As the month of May draws to a close, we’d be remiss not to discuss the birthstone of all of the May babies out there: the emerald. In various cultures, emeralds were thought to bring great happiness to the wearer, especially to new married couples; they were also supposed to protect you from various diseases and even act as an antidote to poisons! (Don’t try that one at home.)

Today, emeralds are one of the most desirable precious gemstones out there, and nearly every royal collection has at least one major emerald piece. Here’s my top ten list of royal emerald jewelry. Feel free to offer your own list in the comments!

10. The Greek Emeralds: Originally from Russia, these cabochon emeralds came to Greece with Olga Constantinovna, wife of King George I. They have been set and reset various times; the current parure dates to the era of Queen Elisabeth (whose initial can be seen in the design of the tiara). Today, they’re worn by the former Greek queen, Anne-Marie (pictured above).

[via Wikimedia Commons]

9. The Seven Emerald Tiara: Part of the state jewels of Iran, this tiara features seven large cabochon emeralds. It was made in 1958 by Harry Winston for the last empress of Iran, Farah Diba. The jewels were retained by the state after the revolution, and today they are on display to the public in Tehran.

8. The Norwegian Emeralds: One of the many sets of jewelry once owned by Queen Josefina of Sweden (granddaughter of Josephine de Beauharnais), these emeralds nearly saved a future king. Princess Ingeborg of Sweden gave them to her daughter, Crown Princess Martha of Sweden, on the eve of World War II, so that Martha could sell them if she and her children faced problems in exile. Today, the emeralds are worn by Queen Sonja (pictured above).

[via Wikimedia Commons]

7. Grand Duchess Ella’s Emerald Kokoshnik: This tiara, featuring a geometric design studded with cabochon emeralds, was a wedding gift to Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna in 1884. Eventually sold by the Romanovs after the revolution, it was purchased by the Yugoslavian royals. Queen Maria of Yugoslavia (pictured above) wore it for years before selling it to Van Cleef & Arpels, who removed the emeralds.

6. The Chaumet Emerald Tiara: Often derided for its resemblance to a superheroine’s headpiece, this tiara from the grand ducal family of Luxembourg’s collection dates to the art deco period. Chaumet set a single, enormous cabochon emerald amid diamond designs. The piece is worn today by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (pictured above).

5. The Swedish Emeralds: Among the vast jewelry holdings of the Swedish royal family is a demi-parure of emeralds (with a necklace and two brooches, but no tiara). The necklace from the set was originally worn as a belt by the first king from the Bernadotte dynasty, Carl XIV Johan of Sweden; it was later shortened. The emeralds reside in the family’s jewel foundation, and they’re often paired with one of the all-diamond tiaras from the royal collection. Crown Princess Victoria (pictured above) wore them at the Nobel ceremony in 2012.

4. The Danish Emeralds: Part of the nation’s crown jewels, the Danish emerald parure is on display at Rosenborg Castle — unless Queen Margrethe II (pictured above) decides to wear it. The parure was made in 1840, but the emeralds have been in the family for at least a century longer. This set is one that can only be worn by queens or queens consort.

3. Queen Mary’s Art Deco Emerald Choker: Famous for its “Disco Di” appearance as a headband in 1985 (pictured above), this choker was originally part of the extensive Delhi Durbar parure. In 1981, the Queen gave this to the new Princess of Wales as a part of her wedding presents. Queen Mary wore it as a choker necklace, and most of the time, Princess Diana did, too — even after her divorce. It was returned to the palace vaults after her death in 1997. And technically, this necklace is also a part of…

2. The Cambridge Emeralds: Won by the Duchess of Cambridge (Queen Mary’s grandmother) in a charity lottery in the nineteenth-century, this cache of emeralds nearly left royal hands altogether when Queen Mary’s brother bequeathed them to his mistress. Mary reacquired them and made them the workhorses of her collection, setting them in the Delhi Durbar parure and using them to create an alternate setting for the Vladimir Tiara (pictured above).

[via Wikimedia Commons]

1. The Duchess of Angoulême’s Emerald Tiara: Housed today in the Louvre, this diamond and emerald tiara was made ca. 1820 by Bapst for Princess Marie Thérèse, Duchess of Angoulême. She was the daughter of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, and she was queen of France herself — for roughly twenty minutes. The tiara was worn by Empress Eugenie, and then was sold when the country auctioned off all of its crown jewels. It only returned to France in the twenty-first century, but now you can see up close and in person (as in the display pictured above).