Ksenia (Xenia) Alexandrovna, Grand Duchess of... Lot 7

Ksenia (Xenia) Alexandrovna, Grand Duchess of Russia (6 April 1875 – 20 April 1960)PERSONAL ILLUSTRATED ALBUMS OF JEWELLERY AND BIBELOTS FROM 24TH JUNE 1880 TO 1905, AND OF JEWELLERY FROM 12 JANUARY 1894 TO 25 MARCH 1912, IN TWO VOLUMES the first, smaller, volume from 1880-1905.4to (22cm. x 17.5cm.), on 91 ruled leaves of text with drawings in watercolour and bodycolour, some heightened, of which the first 20 leaves are written on rectos and versos (i.e. 39 pages of entries, the first page with list of the twelve months with their birthstones), containing 74 entries (no.4 omitted and crossed through) with Russian text on versos and French translation on rectos, with no. 75 in Russian only; the following 43 leaves written on versos only containing entries 76 to 265 (no.147 and 241 with brief annotation on recto, no.194 with annotation on pinned slip of paper), with 4 additional drawings dated 1892 between nos.177 and 178; the final 27 leaves on rectos and versos containing entries 269 to 499 with briefer descriptions, the front free endpaper inscribed 'S.A.I. la Grande Duchesse Xenie Alexandrovna' with her signature in Cyrillic 'Ksenia' below, the back endpaper with pencil inscription '305 eggs', in original half roan and cloth boards, the upper cover stamped in gilt with crowned cypher 'KA', rather worn, stitching weak, spine partly loose and lacking central section, marbled endpapers with Russian printed label 'I. Baliasov's Shop, Nevskii prospekt'. the second, larger, volume from 1894 to 1912.Folio (34.5cm x 21.5cm.), on 99 ruled leaves of text with drawings in watercolour and bodycolour, some heightened, of which the first 18 leaves are written on rectos and versos (no.17 on verso only), followed by 26 leaves on rectos only, 8 on versos, and a further 47 on rectos only, with 426 numbered entries, of which all but no.62-64, 219, 221 and 422-426 are illustrated), 11 illustrations on card pasted on leaves, 9 with annotations on stitched slips of paper, followed by blank leaves, in original diced maroon leather, the upper cover stamped in gilt with crowned cypher 'KA', marbled endpapers.Footnotes: Provenance Grand Duchess Ksenia AlexandrovnaThence by descent, EnglandBonhams London, The Russian Sale, 30 November 2011, lot 155 Private European collection Nous remercions l'experte Svetlana Chestnyh et le Dr Karen Kettering pour leur aide dans la recherche et le catalogage de ce lot. We are grateful to Art Expert Svetlana Chestnyh and Dr Karen Kettering for their assistance in researching and cataloguing this lot. The Jewel Albums of Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna In April 1919, Grand Duchess Ksenia, sister of the last tsar, was among the surviving Romanovs to escape from Russia on board the British battleship, HMS Marlborough. According to her mother, the dowager empress, Grand Duchess Ksenia had stood with her dog, Toby, weeping openly as the family gathered around a makeshift quay, ready to depart from Yalta. They were preparing to board the Marlborough and leave their homeland for ever. The Grand Duchess had with her two precious jewel albums which she kept until her death in 1960 when they passed to her family. The two lavishly illustrated documents constitute a highly sentimental record of jewellery received between 1880 and 1912. Presented together, the 925 entries provide a fascinating insight into the private wealth of the Romanovs, their personal taste and family relationships. The albums illustrate the manner in which important occasions were marked and offer a crucial link to proving attribution and provenance for so many pieces later gifted, sold on by the Grand Duchess or seized by the Soviet authorities.The smaller of the two leather-bound albums contains entries ranging from 1880 to 1905, mostly comprising smaller jewels and pendant Easter eggs. The second, larger album contains entries beginning with the Grand Duchess's engagement in January 1894 and continues until March 25, 1911, her thirty-sixth birthday, by which time her marriage was becoming noticeably strained, relations between various member of the Imperial family were deteriorating, and the vast Russian Empire entered into its difficult, final years. Grand Duchess Ksenia (1875-1960) was born in St. Petersburg at the Anichkov Palace when her grandfather, Tsar Alexander II, ruled the Russian Empire. Her father became Alexander III when she was six years old and, together with her mother Empress Maria Feodorovna (née Princess Dagmar of Denmark) and five siblings, she was raised at Gatchina Palace, well away from the political fermentation of St. Petersburg. There she received a private education alongside her brother, the future Nicholas II, which included the study of foreign languages as well as drawing, a skill in which she was accomplished and surpassed her brother. As well as travelling between Imperial residences, Ksenia's upbringing included regular visits abroad to the Danish home of her maternal grandfather (and Godfather)