Yusupov Heraldry and Genealogy

About contacting Xenia. That should be no problem. I called her in Paris a few years ago to see if she would be willing to contribute anything to my novel on the Yusupov Rembrandts. She was very nice, but said she could add nothing. I think she is tired of people calling her, understandably. She came to the Winter Festival in 2002 in St. Pete and visited the Moika Palace where the Ball takes place each year now, perhaps for the first time. My friend in charge of the Festival said she was a delight and unpretentious.

Thank you for posting the Yussupov line of genealogy.  I wonder if anyone has Felix's father's side mapped out.  The most I was able to ascertain came from the discussion on the Senior Feliks Nikolaevitch Sumarokov Elston.  

I understand from this and from "Lost Splendor" that he was the illegitimate son of Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and one of his wife's ladies-in-waiting, a Hungarian Countess.  Was the Countess named Princess Kutusova-Smolenskia, or was the Princess someone else who took over the care of the boy?

Do we know his mother's lineage?  In addition, do we know the Countess Sumarokov's line - her mother, her mother's parents, etc.

Thank you and regards,

I came across an interesting Genealogical Table which indicated that Felix's paternal great grandparents  were EITHER Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia OR Carl, Baron von Hugel and Ekaterina, Countess Tiesenhausen OR Josephine, Countess Andrassy.  In another genealogical site it did show a liaison between Wilhelm I (who succeeded Friedrich Wilhelm IV) and Countess Josephine Andrassy.

This was the first I had seen anything about this.  Does anyone know where this information stems from?

Thanks and regards,

What was the Yussupovs's coat of arms? Is there a photo of it?

Funny that you should ask about this today.  I just found an interesting link yesterday which shows a porcelain dinner set that belonged to Count Sumarokov-Elston with a coat of arms emblazoned on it.  

Granted, that's not the Yusupov coat of arms, however they *are* related  

See link:  http://www.russian-antique.com/Porcelain-Glass/409/Porcelain-set-Duke-Usupov-Sumarokov-Elston.html

Thanks Tasha!

Steph, if you can get a copy of Lost Splendor's original printing back in the 50s, it has the coat of arms on the cover. A library in my area has one, but my scanner and printer are broken so I can't show you. Next time I go by there I'll see if I can Xerox it and describe it to you. I remember it had some sort of lion on it, and several religious symbols, including a cross, a Star of David, and the Islamic crescent.

Here is a scan from our copy. I manipulated the image to try to bring out the detail of the arms as best I can.  Our copy is really in very good condition, but looks awful in this image because of what I had to do so you could see the detail.

I had been wondering about it anyway.  It didn't make sense to me that the double-headed eagle would have been so prominent on something from the Sumarokov-Elston family.

The double-headed eagle [uncrowned] was not exclusive to the Romanov.  It is featued, especially quartered,  in many old families who claim Byzantine links of one sort or another. Even crowned & sceptred, it is the also the Habsburg arms.

That wasn't exactly why I was confused about it.  For some reason or another, I was under the impression that Count Sumarokov-Elston, having descended from the German Prince of Prussia and his Hungarian Countess would have had a different coat of arms.  Perhaps it's from the Sumarokov line.  But I suppose this is for a different thread; more under the Yusupovs.

Thank you so much for your help.

In another thread called "The Moscow  House Today" there is a picture of the Coat of arms  in the stairs.

Arturo Vega-Llausás

The arms of the Princes Yussupov. The last person legally entitled to use these arms was Princess Zinaida Nikolaievna Yussupova.



The arms of the Princes Yussopov, Counts Sumarokov-Elston. These were used by Prince Feliks Feliksovich Yussupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston with the permission of the Emperor following his marriage to the heiress Princess Zinaida Nikolaievna Yussupova.

Thank you all for those wonderful images.
I am rather puzzled by the presence of a David's star in the Yussupov's coat of arms. Can someone enlighten me?

The use of a six pointed star in the arms of families of Tatar origin is very common. Maybe this is a claim of descent from the House of David or rather Da'oud. There are many Moslem princely families that claim descent form David. A friend of mine who is a Senegalese prince claims descent from King David and the Royal House of Georgia also claims descent from the House of David, note the rock and sling on their coat of arms.

David

Thank you David.

I was aware of the historic/biblical connection between Jewish and Muslims. But seeing a Jewish symbol on the coat of arms of one of the most prominent (if not The most) Russian princely family while the regime was so openly anti-Semites stroke me as odd, to say the least.
Thank you for your clarifications.