Russian Imperial Style Book, Hardbound, 1st Edition with Jacket

The Bed and Bath Book, by Terence Conran, Hardbound with Jacket, First Edition – 1978. Suggests trend-setting yet functional designs for bedrooms and bathrooms to suit every area of...

American Junk, by Mary Randolph Carter, hardbound, 1st Edition, 1994. American Junk – A guide to decorating the home using objects acquired at flea markets, auctions, and garage sal...

White ironstone, a survey of its many forms: Undecorated, flow blue, mulberry, copper lustre by Dawn Stoltzfus and Jeffrey Snyder 1st Edition Paperback 1997, A collectors' re...

Antiques investigator, tips and tricks to help you find the real deal for antiques and collectibles, written by the UK antiques expert Judith Miller. ...

With glorious color photographs, paintings, prints, and original designs, noted historian and author Sir Roy Strong presents Britain's royal gardens of today and yesterday--magnifice...

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...

Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry 1st Edition Hardcover Book. Edited by Ruth A. Peltason. 280 illustrations, including 175 color photographs by John Bigelow Taylor. DIMEN...

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...