LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 APR The James C. Russo Collection #5003  / 

36068

Imperial Russian Menu for the Wedding Banquet

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:800.00 USD Estimated At:1,500.00 - 2,000.00 USD
Imperial Russian Menu for the Wedding Banquet
<B>Imperial Russian Menu for the Wedding Banquet of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich and Princess Alexandra of Greece</B></I><BR><I>Dated</B></I> <I>June 4, 1889, in French</B></I> <BR><BR>Chromolithograph, depicting a Romanov Imperial crown above the arms of the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Greece draped by the respective countries' flags with Cyrillic initials of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich and Alexandra, Princess of Greece (1870-1891), below a laurel branch, a scene of St. Petersburg above and scenes of Athens below, signed-12 1/2 x 8 1/4 in., in a later frame.<BR><BR><I>Paul Alexandrovich (1860-1919) </B></I><BR><BR>Only 21 years old, Alexandra, the Grand Duke's wife, died in childbirth only three years after their wedding. As a widower, the Grand Duke did not distinguish himself in the Imperial court. Close in age to Nicholas II, Paul Alexandrovich was a favorite uncle of the Tsar. Nicholas's fondness turned to disfavor for the Grand Duke however, when his mistress, Madame Olga Pistolkors, scandalized the court by sporting some diamonds that had once belonged to the late Empress Maria on her ample <I>décolletage</B></I> at a Winter Palace Ball. Forced into exile, the couple wed in Italy, but were eventually allowed to return to St. Petersburg. A little over a year after the Revolution, the Cheka executed the Grand Duke in the Saints Peter and Paul Fortress.<BR><BR>Provenance:<BR>Purchased from Marie E. Betteley<BR><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Requires 3rd Party Shipping (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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