Fabergé: Treasures of Imperial Russia by Géza Von Habsburg, 1st Ed

Treasures of the Vatican: St. Peter's Basilica, The Vatican Museums and Galleries, The Treasure of St. Peter's, The Vatican Grottos and Necropolis, and The Vatican Palaces by Maurizi...

Art Treasures of the Louvre by René Huyghe. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1960. 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. Translated and adapted from the French, b...

Sotheby's Catalog, An Important Russian Imperial Jewel. Geneva 17 November 2005. 1st Ed hardcover. "An impressive and highly important diamond ornament from the collection of the Russian Imperial Family, Russia, second half of the 18th century. This diamond necklace with bowknot clasp is not only a remarkable jewel in itself, but its Russian royal provenance puts it in a class of its own. It evokes the blinding splendour of Catherine II, Empress of Russia: the magnificence of her court, her parks, her palaces, her art collections, and monuments. The most striking and colourful figure on the stage of European political life, for thirty four years she ruled a mighty empire which stretched from Siberia to Poland and left it stronger, larger and richer than when she came to the throne in 1762. After her death in 1796, her friend the Prince de Ligne, who had named her Catherine the Great, declared that this title- which has never been lost- resumed all her genius, courage, sense of justice, and force of character. Using her court as a stage, she played the part of an autocratic but enlightened ruler to perfection, imposing in her public appearances, kind and charming in private. The French ambassador, the Comte de Ségur who noticed how “her majestic head and brow, proud look and dignified deportment made her seem taller than she was”, was also impressed by her feminine grace “ her aquiline nose, well shaped mouth, Saxe blue eyes beneath dark lashes, gentle glance and seductive smile”. In spite of her success, she once confided to the Prince de Ligne that she could have served Russia better if she had been born a man. Ever the courtier, he assured her that being a woman was a positive advantage. “Believe me, you are so much more impressive in your beautiful embroidered orange red velvet dolman or tunic than a man decked out in boots and shoulder sash can ever be. In addition the five huge diamonds blazing out from your hair are far more effective than a man’s hat which is either ridiculously small or ridiculously big”. He was right. Her diamond jewellery proclaimed her power and her rank as Empress and appealed to the Russian taste for sumptuous goods. It impressed the Rev. William Coxe, visiting St. Petersburg in 1778: “the glory and the splendor of the clothing of the court and abundance of precious stones leave the opulence of other European courts far behind” and his opinion was shared by the acute Madame de Stael...

Treasures of Catherine the Great. Published by Hermitage Development Trust and Christie's, 2000. 1st Ed softcover. Catherine the Great, famed 18th-...

Faberge Eggs Imperial Russian Fantasies Softcover Book. Near Fine-very. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.,1995. 'Fabergé Eggs - Imperial Russian Fantasies'. Elephant Folio, illustrated perfect-bound wraps, 68 pp. A visually sumptuous presentation of the famous - and very rare Fabergé Eggs...

First edition of Larry Clark’s iconic second book of photographs (following 1971’s Tulsa) documenting and immortalizing a debauched adolescent subculture. Self-published in 1983. Con...

Heroes, Monsters and Other Worlds from Russian Mythology. by Warner, Elizabeth & Alexander Koshkin. Published by Schocken Books., New York., 1985. 1st printing, 1st edition. Illustrated in black, white and color by Alexander Koshkin. Important reference work. A beautifully illustrated anthology of stories and legends of the Russian people includes forty-three tales of gods and heroes, dragons and monsters, witches and wizards, giants and shape-changers, along with information on the sources of Russian folklore. An anthology of Russian mythology chronicles the legends and folklore of diverse regions of Russia, including epic tales of ancient gods and heroes, dragons and monsters, wonderful and mysterious adventures, and other imaginative sagas From School Library Journal Grade 6 Up Russian folklore receives the same somewhat sensationalized treatment as other books in this series. The fantastic elements found in Russian folklore, demons, wizards, and wondrous creatures have been emphasized over the equally prominent folk elements. Yet the tales are well-researched, based upon the original Russian story collections (Afanas'ev and Potebnya, among others) and are written in a readable style. Well-known characters such as Baba...

First edition of this cult classic, “the teenage movie that…America never made,” published by Grove Press in 1995 in conjunction with director and photographer Larry Clark’s first mo...