Tea at Trianon: Artifacts of Imperial Russia

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Artifacts of Imperial Russia

Jeffrey sent me a link to a fantastic site in which it is possible for a lover of beauty to become lost forever. It conta

ins many rare artifacts from the Russia of the Tsars, including some photographs of Nicholas and Alexandra. I read everything about the last Romanovs that I could get hold of when I was a student. Looking at the treasures reminded me of a trip I made to Hillwood with my friend Miss Sally and one of her daughters when in my twenties. In the 1920's, Marjorie Merriweather Post bought up as many valuables as the Communists were willing to sell, and they were willing to p

art with quite a bit, being bankrupt at the time. Marjorie beautifully arranged all her loot in her house outside of Washington, D.C. There are some Imperial eggs, of course, and dinner services that belonged to Catherine the Great, as well as many sacred vessels for the Divine Liturgy. It is open to the public and there is a wonderful tea room, at least there was when I visited.

Here is also an article by author Penny Wilson about the last costume ball of the Tsar. Share

4 comments:

Jeffrey Smith said...: Excellent post. We often forget just how many Imperial Russian antiques are in the US. Armand Hammer bought them in enormous quantities, both for his own collection and for resale. Museums all over the country can be thankful for that.; March 9, 2007 at 7:57:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you, Jeffrey. I am glad that so much of the treasures were spared.; March 9, 2007 at 1:36:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: Anything made by the famed jeweler Carl Faberge is also prized. A few years ago there was an exhibition of Faberge objects in Delaware.
I've also read my share of books on the Romanovs! I own Robert K. Massie's biography on Nicholas and Alexandra and its companion book on the finding of the burial pit. I believe the Russian Orthodox Church canonized the entire family around the time of the reburial in Moscow.
There's a children's book on Anatasia; it's a delightful album of pictures and drawings about the family.; March 9, 2007 at 4:15:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: I was at that exhibition in Delaware, Elisa. It was fantastic!; March 9, 2007 at 4:37:00 PM EST