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Imperial Russian Antiques / Re: russian damask
« on: September 26, 2007, 03:30:16 AM »
Arabella:
A set like you described sold at a Sothebys Auction in Toronto in the Spring of 2006. (They actually made the cover of the auction catalog) You can imagine my surprise to have found an earlier inquiry about them on this site while doing a search for something else:
Czar Nicholas Napkins
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hi, we have 8 24'' x 24" Czar Nicholas the second 1914 1916 napkins
with crests and fringe around.
also 18 12" x 12" tea napkins without fringe but with royal crests and dates.
Thye are all in perfect condition.
They were used a few times in Canada only for Royal visitors.
They are all real, brought from Russia after the revolution by a relative ( a very famous Canadian politician)
We want to sell them all..anyone have an idea of value?
Is it best to sell as one package or separate them?
Who is the best to handle the sale?
Sincerely,
BarneyMac
The politician they are referring to was Vincent Massey who eventually became Canada's first native born Governor General. He was at the time a diplomat posted in Russia "post-revolution" and like Marjorie Merriwether Post, picked up a lot of Czarist ephemera, although beyond the napkins and some dinnerware they mainly bought paintings that eventually ended up in several prominent Canadian Art Collections.
I believe that the these napkins originally started at $300.00. I gave up bidding at $600.00 and they eventually sold for around $2000.00. I think that they could have gotten more had they waited and sent them to a New York Sothebys sale of Russian Art only.
They were in really good shape with the two-tone slightly irridescent very tight fine linen weave and the Nicholas II ciphers were quite distinct in a stylized art deco Cyrillic font. I suspect that one factory or craft guild specialized in this as that I have an Alexander III tea napkin that belonged to his daughter Olga Alexandrovna (that was made into a small pillowcase in the 1960's?!?) in the same font and pattern style which predated these by ten years.
Unfortunately, I would suspect that yours are not in fact Russian Imperial or Noble as that there is no letter "S" in the Russian alphabet. However, it is of course quite possible that they were commissioned by a German, Polish or other noble European house from the Russian manufactory, just as many foreigners commissioned Faberge pieces.
As that you have already identified that it is a Count's coronet, you may want to start from there. You might also attempt to contact Nick Nicholson through this site who could probably immediately tell you their provenance or direct you to someone who could.
Good Luck in your quest.
A set like you described sold at a Sothebys Auction in Toronto in the Spring of 2006. (They actually made the cover of the auction catalog) You can imagine my surprise to have found an earlier inquiry about them on this site while doing a search for something else:
Czar Nicholas Napkins
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hi, we have 8 24'' x 24" Czar Nicholas the second 1914 1916 napkins
with crests and fringe around.
also 18 12" x 12" tea napkins without fringe but with royal crests and dates.
Thye are all in perfect condition.
They were used a few times in Canada only for Royal visitors.
They are all real, brought from Russia after the revolution by a relative ( a very famous Canadian politician)
We want to sell them all..anyone have an idea of value?
Is it best to sell as one package or separate them?
Who is the best to handle the sale?
Sincerely,
BarneyMac
The politician they are referring to was Vincent Massey who eventually became Canada's first native born Governor General. He was at the time a diplomat posted in Russia "post-revolution" and like Marjorie Merriwether Post, picked up a lot of Czarist ephemera, although beyond the napkins and some dinnerware they mainly bought paintings that eventually ended up in several prominent Canadian Art Collections.
I believe that the these napkins originally started at $300.00. I gave up bidding at $600.00 and they eventually sold for around $2000.00. I think that they could have gotten more had they waited and sent them to a New York Sothebys sale of Russian Art only.
They were in really good shape with the two-tone slightly irridescent very tight fine linen weave and the Nicholas II ciphers were quite distinct in a stylized art deco Cyrillic font. I suspect that one factory or craft guild specialized in this as that I have an Alexander III tea napkin that belonged to his daughter Olga Alexandrovna (that was made into a small pillowcase in the 1960's?!?) in the same font and pattern style which predated these by ten years.
Unfortunately, I would suspect that yours are not in fact Russian Imperial or Noble as that there is no letter "S" in the Russian alphabet. However, it is of course quite possible that they were commissioned by a German, Polish or other noble European house from the Russian manufactory, just as many foreigners commissioned Faberge pieces.
As that you have already identified that it is a Count's coronet, you may want to start from there. You might also attempt to contact Nick Nicholson through this site who could probably immediately tell you their provenance or direct you to someone who could.
Good Luck in your quest.
)