Possessions Taken into Exile

[dp5486]

Very interesting. Thank you for the recommendation

Miechen's tiara seems to be her most famous piece. I constantly see it mentioned.

I will have to check Grand Duchess Olga's biography. I think I remember seeing a picture of her in her old age standing next to a portrait of her father. Perhaps it was the portrait rescued by Yusupov. I remember reading about Olga's escape from Kiev when she realized her nurse's uniform and her little traveling case was all she possessed in the world (not counted the things Mimka later rescued from Petrograd).

I guess you really have to think of what is important to you when you find yourself in the position that various members of the Romanov family found themselves in.

[lancashireladandre]

LFOTT is a great book. It's been referrenced on many threads--including Windsor Jewels--to help clarify the fate of much of the jewelry, including dispelling the common rumors which constantly pop up.

As for non-jewelry items, I do wonder what all was taken. Miechen made out pretty well due to Bertie Stoppard (sp?) who smuggled out, at great personal risk to himself to say the least, some very nice pieces which she split up later between her 4 children--rubies, pearls, diamonds and emeralds or sapphires.

Xenia left with some really fabulous pearls which she was defrauded on in France and later sued over.

I don't think Mavra left with very much at all, much like Maria Pavlovna Jr. I think she (MP) referrences some small items in her biographies but certainly nothing much--more sentimental than anything.

Marie Pavlovna Jr was able to send out  ALL  her jewels via the Swedish embassy. In her memoirs she mentions them a great deal. The diamond fringe diadem that had come from her mother, the Cartier sapphire tiara her father gave her as a wedding gift,the sale of her rubies then her mothers turqouises and finally to the fabled emeralds which were from Grand Duchess Serge (these have been discussed at length on the Balkan section)which were bought by Alexander & Marie of Yugoslavia.The last important item to go and the thing she cherished most was her mother's rope of pearls....

[AkshayChavan]

I would like to know why could ALL the Romanovs not send their jewellery to Finland. Finland is quiet near St Petersburg. It would have been easy to send large posessions including silver, paintings and objects d art to Helsinki or other finnish estates. From there it could have been taken to Stockholm or London. It "looks" very easy to me. Was there a ban imposed by Kerensky government on transfering assets or Romanovs simply did not realise the danger they were in untill it was too late? Finland looked far safer than Crimea.

[dp5486]

It does seem an interesting point about the jewelry. Unfortunately, it seems that if it was safely out of the country, it would only be sold off by its owners to help support them. From the other threads I have looked through, it seems that jewelry from the Romanovs ended up in the collections of many of the other Royal European houses.

I looked through Peter Kurth's book and found that this portrait was the one Olga was standing in front of in her old age. I am assuming this is the one that her mother rescued with the help of Felix. It is only in black and white on the site I found it on. http://artsci.shu.edu/reesp/documents/alexIII--april%20manifesto.htm.

[Reco]

[dp5486]

Thank you! That must have been taken at the same time as the one in Peter Kurth's book was taken. Her certainly looks like an Emporer in that portrait! I just wish I could see it in color.

I was wondering if anyone knew of or had pictures of the three alleged surprises from Faberge eggs that the Dowager Empress later passed on to Grand Duchess Xenia. They are supposed to be from the Alexander III, Mauve Enamel, and Empire Nephrite eggs. All of these eggs were never found after the revolution. Their surprised however are rumored to have survived, perhaps with the Dowager Empress on the Marlborough.

Thanks again!

[grandduchessella]

I would like to know why could ALL the Romanovs not send their jewellery to Finland. Finland is quiet near St Petersburg. It would have been easy to send large posessions including silver, paintings and objects d art to Helsinki or other finnish estates. From there it could have been taken to Stockholm or London. It "looks" very easy to me. Was there a ban imposed by Kerensky government on transfering assets or Romanovs simply did not realise the danger they were in untill it was too late? Finland looked far safer than Crimea.

Could it be that they were separated from their jewelry at the time of the Revolution and then it was too late? For instance, Xenia wouldn't have brought all her jewlry to the Crimea. Once they were trapped there, she wouldn't have had a way to communicate to anyone back in St Petersburg (?) of how to take care of her possessions. It seems that, except for Miechen due to Bertie Stoppard, they didn't have access to items left behind and they wouldn't have sent them out beforehand.

[nichka]

Keep in mind, too, that many of the Imperial family and nobility thought the Bolsheviks wouldn't last and that their exile would be only temporary.  Given the urgency, they took with them what they could and just assumed the rest would be safe under the care of trusted agents or servants until their return.  Sadly, that return never came.

[AkshayChavan]

Keep in mind, too, that many of the Imperial family and nobility thought the Bolsheviks wouldn't last and that their exile would be only temporary.  Given the urgency, they took with them what they could and just assumed the rest would be safe under the care of trusted agents or servants until their return.  Sadly, that return never came.

Yes, maybe this explains why the Yussupovs hid their treasures in secret rooms instead of taking it with them to Crimea. Sadly the fact that they had transferred all their foreign assets during the war back to Russia also played against them.

[dp5486]

I would have to agree. Marie's jewelry was smuggled out to Sweden disguised as several different items. To go through all that work just to have wait a little bit, supposedly until the upheavel was over, to return musn't have had a great appeal at the time.

[dp5486]

It seems to me that the Dowager Empress never went anywhere without her black hat and umbrella. These seem to be fixtures that she seems to have in almost every picture I have seen. I know it is a long shot but does anyone know anything about accessoriesthat seemed to be her favorites?

Thanks!

[dp5486]

I resently read an article on the Yusupov family's large pearl the Pelegrina. The article states that this pearl along with the "Polar Star" and the "Sultan of Morocco" diamonds, the black pearls of Catherine the Great, and the earrings of Marie Antoinette were smuggled out of Russia. Was it Felix who smuggled them out on the Marlborough?

I have read about these treasures on various threads but I have not found a conclusive answer on how they left Russia.

Thanks!

[Forum Admin]

I would not exactly use the term "smuggled".That implies something illegal. The Yussopovs, and frankly all the emigres who left thru the Crimea then were simply taking their own possessions with them at the time.

[dp5486]

I was just using the word used by the website to emphasize the question. I know that they were just taking their possessions with them when the time came to leave.

I usually get very angry when I have to hear about the Bolsheviks refering to the Romanovs property as there's. I think I read that they had to be very careful about selling Minnie's jewelry so the Soviet government would not get involved. Was the brooch given to Minnie for her wedding from Bertie and Alix belong to the soviets? No! Just a small example from a very big injustice.

[Alixz]

I believe that the passengers on Titanic and the Romanovs had a lot in common.  Neither thought that the "ship" or "ship of state" would sink.

As to their possesions, the Soviets believed that the common man provided the work which in turn provided the wealth of the Romanovs.  The Soviets thought of themselves more as Robin Hoods rather than robbers.  They believed that the wealth truly belonged to the people and to the people's state.

The Romanovs seemed very concerned with material things such as bibles, jewelry, bric a brac and pets.  I don't know what I would have done in the same situation, but I don't think I would have been so worried about the "small" stuff.  Family members would come first.

Also by taking a lot of boxes full of stuff, they were putting their rescuers in danger as well as themselves.  That seems a little foolish and self-centered.

I have no doubt that by selling their possessions they could support themselves, but many, including Minnie, refused to sell and expected someone else to support her.  Another self-centered Romanov trait.