The Last of the Tsars –

A Brief History of the Romanov Dynasty

The epoch of the Romanov dynasty is one that stretches across several hundred years of Russian history. The beginning of the dynasty is commonly recognized as the coronation of Mikhail Feodorovich in 1613, the end can be pinpointed with a marksman’s accuracy – the early hours of July 18, 1918 when Czar Nicholas II and his immediate family including his wife Alexandra and their five children were brutally murdered in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

The reign of the Romanovs was punctuated by the expected intrigues, assassinations, illnesses, murders, and revolutions that besiege powerful reigning monarchs, but despite this external turmoil, the Romanovs were consistently passionate about amassing fine artwork. The origins of this unparalled collection can be traced back to Peter the Great who purchased outstanding pieces of art of the great masters during his travels throughout the continent between 1697 and 1698. Peter’s desire was to “Westernize” Russia in various ways including militarily, technically and of course, culturally. It was during his reign that St. Petersburg was transformed from a marshy expanse to the new capitol city. He opened the door that was once closed by the medieval Russian Orthodox Church to various art forms. Russians were beginning to produce artwork, novels, architecture, and music. His radical reform was continued by his daughter, Empress Elizabeth, who undertook the building of the Winter Palace, a magnificent structure situated on the Neva River in St. Petersburg. Taking almost eight years to complete, the palace was built between 1754 and 1762. Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli designed the white stone Baroque-style structure highlighted in green and gold. Now home to the Hermitage art museum, it stands three stories tall and boasts 1945 windows. Unfortunately, the Empress Elizabeth never saw its completion having died in 1761. Instead, it was Catherine the Great who took up residence in the palace and it was during her reign that the art collection increased dramatically with the acquisition of 225 paintings from a German art dealer. At the time Alexander III came to the throne in 1881, the Winter Palace contained one of the greatest and most diverse collections of art in Europe including the works of da Vinci, Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, Michelangelo and others, many of which were acquired from the monarchs of Europe including French Queen Hortense and Empress Josephine plus a substantial collection from King William I of the Netherlands

Although generally regarded as a boorish man, Alexander III was enormously enamored and influenced by his Danish wife, Maria – a genteel and refined woman. She displayed a lifelong passion for objects of beauty and elegance and he surrounded her with her heart’s desire. As fate would have it, the Czar and his wife met Peter Carl Faberge at the Pan Russian Exhibition of 1882. There, the Czarina purchased a pair of cuff links from an assortment of jewelry being offered by Faberge (his diversification into other objets d’art came shortly thereafter), which practically sealed his fate as future Supplier by Special Appointment to the Imperial Court. Beginning in 1885, the Czar directed Faberge to create an Easter gift for the Czarina. Faberge returned with the first Imperial Czar Easter Egg – a ruby necklace contained within a golden hen enclosed inside a replica of an egg.

Faberge’s tenure as jeweler and goldsmith did not end with the death of Alexander III in 1894. Instead, his son Czar Nicholas II made sure that the tradition continued and he commissioned Faberge to make not one, but two, Imperial Czar Easter Eggs each year- one for his wife, the Czarina Alexandra and the other for his mother the Dowager Empress Maria. Faberge hand delivered the first Imperial Easter Egg to the Tsarina Marie in 1895 and continued this tradition until 1916 when the last two eggs were delivered to the royal family. Over the years he also became quite close to the family. The Dowager Empress Marie’s enthusiasm for the man is evidenced by the contents of a letter she wrote:

“He (Tsar Nicholas II) wrote me a most charming letter and presented me with a most beautiful Easter egg. Faberge brought it to me himself. It is a true chef d’oeuvre, in pink and enamel and inside a porte-chaise carried by two Negroes with Empress Catherine in it wearing a little crown on her head. You wind it up and then the Negroes walk: it is unbelievably beautiful and superbly fine piece of work. Faberge is the greatest genius of our time, I also told him: ‘Vous etes un genie incomparable.’”

Faberge gifts among the royal family were not limited to only the Imperial Eggs but soon included a wide variety of luxury items including jewelry, cigarette cases, hard stone sculpture, and delicate replicas of wildflowers.