One of the key moments at the royal courts at all times was considered the coronation. The person preparing to enter the throne was to appear in all her splendor and majesty. This review presents the luxurious coronation dresses of Russian empresses.

The first Russian empress to ascend the throne and rule independently was Catherine I. Her coronation took place on May 7, 1724. Since the second wife of Peter I was not of noble birth, the emperor wished to crown her, taking care of the future of his daughters (they received the title of crown prince only if both parents were crowned).

coronation dress Catherine I Made of red silk, decorated with silver embroidery. The dress was ordered in Berlin. Not a ready-made outfit was brought to Russia, but a “cartridge”, that is, fastened with only a few seams. The tailors were afraid not to guess the size of the Empress. As a result, the dress turned out to be too wide, and three days before the coronation, Russian seamstresses hastily adjusted it to the figure of Catherine. As a result, folds formed on the back of the skirt, and the pockets shifted.

One of the foreign ambassadors described the empress' dress as "a magnificent crimson robe embroidered with silver thread." The skirt was made so long that a shoe with a crimson ribbon peeked out when walking.

Anna Ivanovna

Coronation Anna Ioannovna took place two months after her arrival in Russia from Courland on April 28, 1730. The dress was made from Lyon brocade in Russia, but by a German tailor. If you compare the photo and the portrait, then the different finishes of the dress immediately catches your eye. Most likely this is due to the fact that the outfit was changed several times in accordance with the trends of the then fashion.

Elizaveta Petrovna

coronation dress Elizabeth Petrovna sewn from Russian fabric. The Empress also ordered all the courtiers to appear at the coronation in outfits made by domestic tailors. Elizabeth Petrovna's dress was made of silver brocade (eye). The width of the dress is fully consistent with the then rococo fashion. At that time, ladies could not even sit down in such dresses, so many of them, wanting to relax, lay down directly on the floor in their dresses (of course, not in the presence of the empress). Elizaveta Petrovna herself never went out in the same outfit twice. After her death, 15 thousand dresses remained.

Catherine II

Coronation Catherine II(née Sophia Augusta Frederick of Anhalt-Zerbst) took place in 1762. The dress of the empress was made of silver brocade, decorated with double-headed eagles. The outfit of Catherine the Great is the only one on which lace has been preserved. The waist of the Empress, unlike her predecessors, was narrow - only 62 cm.
Each empress was not only a trendsetter, but also clearly regulated court etiquette. Sometimes that modern laymen would call such behavior absurd.

The niece of Peter I, the daughter of his brother Ivan Alekseevich and Praskovia Fyodorovna Saltykova, Anna Ioannovna, in 1710, at the age of seventeen, was married to the Duke of Courland Friedrich-Wilhelm. After the sudden death of her husband, which followed two months after the wedding, she lived for some time in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and in 1717 settled in Mitava, where she was caught by the proposal of the Supreme Privy Council to take the Russian throne. Anna Ioannovna was not the only heiress to the throne, which was empty after the death of Peter II, but the "supreme leaders" headed by Prince D.M. Golitsyn, who hoped to limit autocratic power in this way, risked offering her the role of a controlled empress. However, some time after accession to the throne, relying on the support of the nobility, she broke the previously signed "conditions" and dissolved the Supreme Privy Council. By the time of the coronation, scheduled for April 28, 1730, Anna Ioannovna was finally freed from the shy guardianship of the "supreme leaders" and became the sole sovereign.

Before her coronation, Anna Ioannovna published a manifesto, from which the coronation collection began: “When, by the will of Almighty God, Her Imperial Majesty, to the general joy of the people, having arrived safely in Moscow on the Ancestral All-Russian Throne, mercifully deigned to enter, then for some time, deigned to announce her intention, so that, according to the custom of the ancestors of Her Majesty and other Christian potentates, Coronation and Holy anointing to perceive, which was published through the issued Manifesto on March 16th. Coronation celebrations in Moscow lasted a week. In general, following the traditions laid down by Peter the Great, the organizers of the coronation of Anna Ioannovna introduced some innovations, among which was a celebration in the Golovin estate located in the German settlement, and the solemn return of the Empress to the Kremlin: “To the German in which settlement all foreign ministers and noble inhabitants against the houses were made great illuminations with various ones in honor of Her Imperial Majesty and the State Russian symbols and emblem-mats of various colors with lights, between which the greatest at the Caesar Plenipotentiary Minister, against his house, and at Gishpan through the street Triumphal Gate, at which, during the procession of Her Majesty, they played trumpets, and those ministers themselves, standing in front of their apartments. Her Majesty bow and congratulations repaired.

The traditional festive events included throwing gold and silver tokens among the crowd, as well as a treat for the common people arranged in the Kremlin: fried, stuffed with birds of various kinds, and on the sides of those bulls, red and white wine was poured from two fountains made, which, at the end of Her Majesty's table, was given to the people for free use.

V. N. Tatishchev oversaw the publication of the coronation collection, in his childhood he often saw the future empress. In 1693, when Anna Ioannovna was born, seven-year-old Vasily Tatishchev, together with his brother Ivan, were granted stewardship to the court of Tsarina Praskovya Feodorovna. Apparently, the kinship of the Tatishchevs and the Saltykovs played an important role in this appointment. In particular, the grandfather of Anna Ioannovna Fyodor Saltykov was married to a second marriage to a representative of the Tatishchev family, Anna Mikhailovna Tatishcheva. In 1730, Tatishchev served as a member of the Moscow Coin Office, which belonged to the Palace Department. It was no coincidence that he was entrusted with supervising the publication of the collection. During the coronation itself, he, being in the rank of state councilor, served as chief master of ceremonies. With the traditional distribution of awards and ranks at the coronation, Tatishchev received the rank of real state councilor.

Work on the coronation collection lasted about six months, and at the end of October 1730 it went out of print. Compared to the description of the coronation of Catherine I, prepared by a person with a clear literary talent, the collection dedicated to Anna Ioannovna was noticeably inferior in the beauties of style and completeness of information. Its content is more like an official account of the ceremonies and festivities that took place. But on the other hand, the “Description of the Coronation of Anna Ioannovna” can hardly be overestimated in terms of prepared illustrations. Here, the coronation in the Assumption Cathedral, and the dinner in the Faceted Chamber, and the fireworks that accompanied the festive celebrations are captured. The front list of the publication was decorated with a wonderful portrait of the Empress, engraved by H. A. Wortman from the original by L. Caravaque. This folio is also important as the ancestor of illustrated coronation collections, the tradition of publishing which ended only with the Russian Empire.

Description of the coronation of Her Majesty the Empress and Autocrat of All Russia, Anna Ioannovna, solemnly sent in the reigning city of Moscow, April 28, 1730. Moscow: Published at the Senate, October 31, 1730. 1 l. frontispiece - engraving by H. A. Wortman from the original by L. Caravaca, , 46 pp., 11 sheets. illustrations, 2 sheets. - plans (all - engravings on copper). In full-leather binding of the time of publication. On the spine is a gold-embossed floral ornament. At the top of the spine is a brown leather label with an embossed title. 32x21 cm. One of the most difficult to find "coronations".

Placed under the cross, it weighs one hundred grams. In the manufacture of the crown, techniques such as casting, chasing, carving and gilding were used. Crown height 31.3 cm.

Story

The meeting of the coronation commission on March 12 of the year decided to create two new crowns for Empress Anna Ioannovna: the Large Imperial (for coronation), and the Small (for other ceremonies). Their images can be seen in the coronation album, published in the same year. . In the tenth of March, soldiers are sent to the Moscow settlements to collect "for the cause of the crown of Her Imperial Majesty, goldsmiths of silversmiths and chasers." Diamond maker Ivan Shmit, goldsmith Samson Larionov (he also created the first Russian imperial crown of Catherine I), Nikita Milyukov and Kalina Afanasiev, silversmith Pyotr Semyonov, goldsmith Luka Fedorov and bookbinders Ivan Matfeev and Vadim participated in the work on these crowns. Alekseev.

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Notes

1. Crownings and coronations in the Moscow Kremlin. Part 2. XVIII-XIX centuries. - M., 2013. - S. 190.
2. Bykova Yu. I. On the question of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // Peter's time in faces - 2013. To the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty (1613-2013). Proceedings of the State Hermitage. T. LXX. - St. Petersburg, 2013. - S. 105.
3. Bykova Yu. I. On the question of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // Peter's time in faces - 2013. To the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty (1613-2013). Proceedings of the State Hermitage. T. LXX. - St. Petersburg, 2013. - S. 102–114.
4. Troinitsky S. N. Crown Jewels // Diamond Fund. - M., 1925. Issue. 2. - S. 11.
5. Bykova Yu. I.. On the question of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // Peter's time in faces - 2013. To the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty (1613-2013). Proceedings of the State Hermitage. T. LXX. - St. Petersburg, 2013. - S. 102–114; Bykova Yu. I.. On the question of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // The Moscow Kremlin in the state life of Russia. Abstracts of reports. Anniversary scientific conference Moscow Kremlin Museums, October 31 - November 01, 2013. - M., 2013. - S. 17–19.
6. Bykova Yu. I. On the question of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // Peter's time in faces - 2013. Collection of articles. State. Hermitage. - St. Petersburg, 2013. - S. 107.
7. Description of the coronation of Her Majesty the Empress and Autocrat of All Russia Anna Ioannovna solemnly sent in the reigning city of Moscow on April 28, 1730. - M., 1730.
8. Kuznetsova L.K. About the “Vodoksha lala” under the cross of the Great Crown of Anna Ioannovna // Examination and attribution of works visual arts. Materials 2001. - M., 2003. - S. 175–182; Kuznetsova L.K. Petersburg jewelers. The eighteenth century, diamond ... - St. Petersburg, 2009. - P. 93.
9. Jerzy Gutkowski.. Radio Poland (October 9, 2012).

Sources

1. Troinitsky S.N. Coronation Jewels // Diamond Fund. M., 1925. Issue. 2.
2. Description of the coronation of Her Majesty the Empress and Autocrat of All Russia Anna Ioannovna solemnly sent in the reigning city of Moscow on April 28, 1730. M., 1730.
3. Kuznetsova L.K. On the “Vodoksha lala” under the cross of the Great Crown of Anna Ioannovna // Examination and attribution of works of fine arts. Materials 2001. M., 2003. S. 175–182.
4. Kuznetsova L.K. Petersburg jewelers. Eighteenth century, diamond ... St. Petersburg, 2009.
5. Bykova Yu. I. On the issue of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // Peter's time in faces - 2013. To the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty (1613-2013). Proceedings of the State Hermitage. T. LXX. - St. Petersburg, 2013. - S. 102–114.
6. Bykova Yu. I. On the issue of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // The Moscow Kremlin in the state life of Russia. Abstracts of reports. Anniversary scientific conference Moscow Kremlin Museums, October 31 - November 01, 2013. M., 2013. S. 17–19.
7. Crownings and coronations in the Moscow Kremlin. Part 2. XVIII-XIX centuries. M., 2013.

An excerpt characterizing the Crown of Anna Ioannovna

Berg had been the bridegroom for more than a month and only a week remained before the wedding, and the count had not yet decided with himself the question of dowry and did not talk about it with his wife. The count either wanted to separate Vera from the Ryazan estate, then he wanted to sell the forest, then he wanted to borrow money against a bill. A few days before the wedding, Berg entered the count's office early in the morning and, with a pleasant smile, respectfully asked the future father-in-law to tell him what would be given for Countess Vera. The count was so embarrassed at this long-anticipated question that he thoughtlessly said the first thing that came into his head.
- I love that I took care, I love you, you will be satisfied ...
And he patted Berg on the shoulder and stood up, wanting to end the conversation. But Berg, smiling pleasantly, explained that if he did not know correctly what would be given for Vera, and did not receive in advance at least a part of what was assigned to her, then he would be forced to refuse.
“Because judge, Count, if I now allowed myself to marry, without having certain means to support my wife, I would act vilely ...
The conversation ended with the count, wishing to be generous and not be subjected to new requests, said that he was issuing a bill of 80 thousand. Berg smiled meekly, kissed the count on the shoulder and said that he was very grateful, but now he could not get settled in his new life without receiving 30 thousand in clean money. “At least 20 thousand, Count,” he added; - And then the bill was only 60 thousand.
- Yes, yes, all right, - the count spoke quickly, - just excuse me, my friend, I will give 20 thousand, and also a bill for 80 thousand ladies. So, kiss me.

Natasha was 16 years old, and it was 1809, the same year until which, four years ago, she counted on her fingers with Boris after she kissed him. Since then, she has never seen Boris. In front of Sonya and with her mother, when the conversation turned to Boris, she spoke quite freely, as if about a matter settled, that everything that had happened before was childish, about which it was not worth even talking about, and which had long been forgotten. But in the most secret depths of her soul, the question of whether the commitment to Boris was a joke or an important, binding promise tormented her.
Ever since Boris left Moscow for the army in 1805, he had not seen the Rostovs. Several times he visited Moscow, passing not far from Otradnoye, but he never visited the Rostovs.
It sometimes occurred to Natasha that he did not want to see her, and her guesses were confirmed by the sad tone in which the elders used to say about him:
“In this century, old friends are not remembered,” the countess said after the mention of Boris.
Anna Mikhailovna, who had lately visited the Rostovs less frequently, also behaved herself in a particularly dignified manner, and each time spoke enthusiastically and gratefully about the merits of her son and about the brilliant career in which he was. When the Rostovs arrived in St. Petersburg, Boris came to visit them.
He rode towards them not without emotion. The memory of Natasha was the most poetic memory of Boris. But at the same time, he rode with the firm intention of making it clear to her and her family that the childish relationship between him and Natasha could not be an obligation either for her or for him. He had a brilliant position in society, thanks to intimacy with Countess Bezukhova, a brilliant position in the service, thanks to the patronage of an important person, whose trust he fully enjoyed, and he had nascent plans for marrying one of the richest brides in St. Petersburg, which could very easily come true. . When Boris entered the Rostovs' living room, Natasha was in her room. Upon learning of his arrival, she flushed almost ran into the living room, beaming with more than an affectionate smile.
Boris remembered that Natasha in a short dress, with black eyes shining from under her curls and with a desperate, childish laugh, whom he knew 4 years ago, and therefore, when a completely different Natasha entered, he was embarrassed, and his face expressed enthusiastic surprise. This expression on his face delighted Natasha.
“What, do you recognize your little friend as a minx?” said the Countess. Boris kissed Natasha's hand and said that he was surprised at the change that had taken place in her.
- How you have improved!
“Sure!” answered Natasha's laughing eyes.
- Is your father old? she asked. Natasha sat down and, without entering into a conversation between Boris and the countess, silently examined her childhood fiancé to the smallest detail. He felt the weight of that stubborn, affectionate look on himself, and from time to time glanced at her.
Uniform, spurs, tie, Boris's hairstyle, all this was the most fashionable and comme il faut [quite decently]. Natasha noticed this now. He sat a little sideways on an armchair near the countess, adjusting with his right hand the cleanest, drenched glove on his left, spoke with a special, refined pursing of his lips about the amusements of the highest Petersburg society and with gentle mockery recalled the old Moscow times and Moscow acquaintances. Not accidentally, as Natasha felt it, he mentioned, naming the highest aristocracy, about the ball of the envoy, which he was at, about invitations to NN and to SS.
Natasha sat all the time in silence, looking at him from under her brows. This look more and more disturbed and embarrassed Boris. He often looked back at Natasha and interrupted his stories. He sat for no more than 10 minutes and stood up, bowing. All the same curious, defiant and somewhat mocking eyes looked at him. After his first visit, Boris told himself that Natasha was just as attractive to him as before, but that he should not give in to this feeling, because marrying her - a girl with almost no fortune - would be the death of his career, and resuming the old relationship without the purpose of marriage would be an ignoble act. Boris decided on his own to avoid meeting Natasha, but, despite this decision, he arrived a few days later and began to travel often and spend whole days with the Rostovs. It seemed to him that he needed to explain himself to Natasha, to tell her that everything old should be forgotten, that in spite of everything ... she cannot be his wife, that he has no fortune, and she will never be given for him. But he did not succeed and it was embarrassing to start this explanation. Every day he became more and more confused. Natasha, according to the remark of her mother and Sonya, seemed to be in love with Boris in the old way. She sang his favorite songs to him, showed him her album, forced him to write in it, did not allow him to remember the old, letting him know how wonderful the new was; and every day he left in a fog, without saying what he intended to say, not knowing himself what he was doing and why he came, and how it would end. Boris stopped visiting Helen, received daily reproachful notes from her, and yet spent whole days with the Rostovs.

One evening, when the old countess, sighing and groaning, in a night cap and blouse, without overhead letters, and with one poor tuft of hair protruding from under a white calico cap, was laying prostrations of the evening prayer on the rug, her door creaked, and in shoes on her bare feet, also in a blouse and hairpins, Natasha ran in. The Countess looked back and frowned. She was finishing her last prayer: “Will this coffin be my bed?” Her prayer mood was destroyed. Natasha, red and animated, seeing her mother at prayer, suddenly stopped in her run, sat down and involuntarily stuck out her tongue, threatening herself. Noticing that her mother was continuing her prayer, she ran on tiptoe to the bed, quickly sliding one small foot against the other, kicked off her shoes and jumped onto that bed, for which the countess was afraid that he would not be her coffin. This bed was high, feather-bed, with five ever-decreasing pillows. Natasha jumped up, drowned in a featherbed, rolled over to the wall and began to fiddle under the covers, laying down, bending her knees to her chin, kicking her legs and laughing a little audibly, now covering her head, then looking at her mother. The countess finished her prayer and with a stern face went up to the bed; but, seeing that Natasha was covered with her head, she smiled her kind, weak smile.

Jewelry Treasures of the Russian Imperial Court Zimin Igor Viktorovich

Crown Jewels

Crown Jewels

The main symbol of the power of imperial Russia in the XVIII century. became the crown jewels. Their history is bizarre and is directly related to the development of jewelry art in Russia. The coronation celebrations, in which hundreds of thousands of people participated in one way or another, left behind quite a lot of objects and evidence. We will only touch upon the diamond edge of the coronation celebrations.

Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin

Second half of the 15th century became the time of completion of the unification of Russian lands around Moscow and the beginning of the formation of the Muscovite kingdom. Such major political processes required ideological and political formalization. The ideology of the new kingdom resulted in the chased formula of the monk Philotheus: “The first and second Rome fell. Moscow is the third Rome, and there will be no fourth. The tradition of the coronation of Russian sovereigns (Grand Dukes) became a visible embodiment of the unifying political processes. The beginning was laid by the coronation of the grandson of Ivan III Dmitry in 1498. This tradition finally took shape by mid-sixteenth century, when in 1547 the coronation of Ivan IV, who went down in our history as Ivan the Terrible, took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. It was then that the chrismation ceremony became the core of coronation celebrations that turn an ordinary person into God's anointed one.

Gradually, in the course of subsequent coronations, a complex of royal regalia is formed, used during the coronation celebrations, called the "big outfit". The ideological essence of the coronation celebrations in the holy temples of the Moscow Kremlin was the idea of ​​God's grace, which descended on the sovereigns during the procedure of their chrismation. Actually, this is where the official wording "God's anointed" came from.

Parsuna of Tsar Ivan IV from the collection of the National Museum of Denmark (Copenhagen), end. XVI - beginning. 17th century

The procedure of coronation celebrations throughout the 17th century. under the first Romanovs, it took complete forms and did not change until the coronation of 1682, when at the same time the half-brothers Peter I and Ivan V were solemnly anointed with the world. However, the changed political realities early XVIII in. a lot has changed in Russia. These processes were also affected by coronation traditions.

The complex of coronation things is currently stored in the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin.

When, in 1826, Nicholas I ordered to be presented to him “A list of memorable things that belonged to the Imperial family since the time of Emperor Peter I, stored in various government buildings” (as in the original. - Auth.), then the following exhibits were listed in the report of the Armory:

- “The royal crown, with which the sovereign was crowned, is decorated with diamonds, lalas and emeralds; a large oval spinel is inserted under the cross”;

– “The golden scepter with colored enamel is decorated with diamonds, emeralds and Burmic grains (pearls. – Auth.); on top is a double-headed eagle with a crown and a cross”;

- "Golden orb with a smooth silver cross";

– “A huge throne (double. – Auth.) ... and behind it, a third one was attached with a small hole, which was hung on the outside with a stringed pearl cover and was arranged for the co-ruler of Tsarevna Sophia Alekseevna.

Ivory throne of Ivan IV

Preparations for the coronation in a new way "imperial standard" Peter I begins in 1719. One of the first steps of Peter I in this direction was the decree (December 1719), according to which the Chamber College was created. In paragraph 20 of this document, a list of "State belonging things" was stipulated: "State apple, crown, scepter, key and sword." Further, the place of their storage was indicated - "Tsarskaya Renterey" (treasury. - Auth.), the mode of storage was approved - “in a large chest behind three locks”, the mode of admission to state regalia was established. In 1721, a new decree of the emperor followed, according to which the state regalia were again listed, which were to be kept by the Chamber Collegium: crown, scepter, orb, key, seal and sword.

It should be emphasized that all this was done under Catherine, since Peter I considered the coronation "according to the imperial standard" for himself to be completely unnecessary, rightly believing the divine legitimacy of his power to be completely indisputable.

A casket-ark for storing a letter of approval for the kingdom of Ivan IV. Artist F.G. Solntsev. Russia, F. Chopin factory. 1848–1853 Bronze, casting, gilding, silvering, chasing

HELL. Litovchenko. Ivan the Terrible shows his treasures to the British Ambassador Horsey. Canvas, oil. 1875 Russian Museum

Terminological innovations should also include the appearance of the term " regalia". Before Peter I, this term was not used, and in use were the concepts of " royal rank" or " big outfit". In that " big outfit» included: royal crown, orb, scepter, chains, life-giving cross, barmas. The throne was not part of the concept of "regalia". 19th century explorers numbered 39 items related to the items of the royal rank and the crowning of the kingdom. Of all these items in the list imperial regalia only switched scepter and power.

Speaking of imperial regalia, it must be emphasized that if under the Moscow tsars the main place during the coronation ceremonies was occupied by the so-called life-giving crosses(for example, the "Filofeevsky Cross"), then from the time of Peter I they become studded with diamonds crowns european style, scepter and power. At the same time, at first, the scepter and orb were used old, from the ancient coronation "large outfits" of the Moscow tsars, visibly linking the coronation celebrations of the Moscow tsars and Russian emperors(empresses).

With all the organizational innovations, Peter I made a fundamental decision not to transfer the coronation celebrations from Moscow to St. Petersburg. For all his harsh attitude towards Orthodox Church, which he consistently turned into part of an obedient bureaucratic apparatus, he believed that the divine legitimacy of coronation celebrations could be fully ensured only in the ancient churches of the Moscow Kremlin. At least in the eyes of the people. Pyotr Alekseevich was a pragmatist, perfectly representing the whole precarious position of his second wife, as his possible successor, so he did not neglect such an important detail. As a result, following the example of previous coronations, Ekaterina Alekseevna turned into an empress precisely in the ancient Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, where, starting with Ivan IV, all the kings of the Moscow kingdom were crowned.

Part of the "Big Outfit": the crown of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the scepter and orb of Boris Godunov

Kazan hat and Monomakh hat

Thus, the coronation traditions of Moscow tsars and Russian emperors linked both the regalia (orb and scepter) and the place of the coronation (Assumption Cathedral). And the scenario of the coronation celebrations itself was preserved, including both the key role of the higher Orthodox clergy and the procedure of chrismation itself. The upcoming coronation of Ekaterina Alekseevna was announced in a manifesto on November 15, 1723.

First coronation according to imperial standards, was held in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin in May 1724. Two thrones were placed in the cathedral, near which imperial regalia were placed on a special table. It should be noted that until 1724 the royal regalia from the “large outfit” were kept in the Treasury. It was with this new coronation procedure that Peter I found it necessary to strengthen the legitimacy of the position of his second wife, Ekaterina Alekseevna, as his possible successor.

Portrait of Catherine I. J.-M. Natya. 1717

The frame of the crown of Catherine I (without decorations) and the crown of Anna Ioannovna

It was not only the first coronation by imperial standards, but also the first coronation of a woman. Moreover, women of low origin, the turbulent stages of whose biography were not a secret to anyone. At the same time, this coronation became a visible demonstration of the power of the young empire, the expression of which was the emphasized splendor and richness of the ceremony itself. Peter I deliberately went for it, although in privacy he was organically ascetic.

It is known that for the coronation of Catherine I, they used the scepter and orb of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the first of the Romanovs. Of the "novelties" for the "Russian Cinderella" Catherine I, they urgently made a special crown (crown) studded with diamonds, which Peter the Great himself placed on her.

The first imperial crown of Russia was made by master Samson Larionov. The idea was based on the drawing of the crown of King Constantine. Only the silver gilded skeleton of the crown of Catherine I, which is currently stored in the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin, has come down to us. This crown weighed 1.8 kg, and it cost the treasury 1.5 million rubles. It was then that a huge ruby-spinel weighing almost 400 carats first appeared on the top of the crown, brought in 1676 by the merchant Spafariy to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from China and estimated in 1725 at 60,000 rubles.

Clarifications are needed here. For a long time it was believed that a huge red was used in the crown. ruby. Sometimes this stone is called spinel. Please note that these are not synonyms. In 1922, during the study of imperial regalia under the guidance of academician Fersman, it was found that the stone of the merchant Spafariy was not a ruby. Subsequently, Spafaria's spinel was crowned with the crown of Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine II.

In addition, during the coronation of 1724, such a novelty as imperial mantle(or purple) weighing more than 60 kg. A special clasp was made for this mantle, which cost, according to the chamber junker Berholz, 100,000 rubles. This porphyry was laid on his wife by Peter I himself. (If the reader has ever picked up a serious tourist backpack, then he can imagine the weight of the porphyry).

Contemporaries described the new crown as follows: "The imperial crown was composed entirely of diamonds, diamonds, between which there was a great number of amazing size." It was this crown, studded with diamonds, that turned it into the main stone of the 18th century, into the official, award stone of the ruling dynasty.

This demonstration of imperial wealth made a tremendous impression on contemporaries. One of them wrote about the purple of the empress, which was a kind of Western “novelty” for the people of that time, and, of course, they paid attention to it: “She was showered with so many golden double-headed eagles that, together with a crown weighing 4.5 pounds, the empress I had to carry a weight of 150 pounds on a warm, spring day. No matter how strongly Catherine was built ... nevertheless, during the coronation, the Empress more than once had to bow under the weight of her treasures and even sit down during the service. If we translate these figures into the modern metric system, it turns out that the crown of Catherine I weighed 1 kg 800 g, and all her vestments, taking into account the weight of porphyry, ceremonial dress and jewelry, about 65–70 kg. Knightly armor, the severity of which is much written in the literature, was more optimally distributed over the body of a male warrior than the coronation vestments of Catherine I.

After the coronation ceremony, Peter I made another extraordinary move. He ordered all the items of the royal rank to be put "behind the glass" in the treasury and to show them to the people whenever possible. In memory of this coronation, a medal with portraits of Peter and Catherine was knocked out for the first time. The main novelty of the coronation was reflected on the medal - the Great Imperial Crown, made according to the European standard. After the coronation, all the regalia were left in Moscow.

Golden coronation medal. 1724

Coronation dress of Catherine I. Germany (?); Russia (?); fabric - France. 1724

Gold medal in memory of the coronation of Peter II. 1728

Ultimately, the inventory of the Armory included the following things related to the coronation of 1724: “A slotted crown, latticed, with diamonds and red yakhonts, divided into two halves by a large free-standing rim, with a diamond cross, under which there is a large Vodoksha lala”; “A coronal dress of purple color, embroidered with silver; lacing, mittens, crimson-colored silk stockings with crowns embroidered on the arrows are kept with it.

After the coronation of the young Peter II, which took place on February 25, 1728, the imperial regalia were again mentioned in a separate decree, which, by special order, were transferred to the storage of attention to the following exotic “risk factors”: from standing horses exposes the royal treasury to considerable danger, because from that a stinking spirit appears, and from that spirit of His Imperial Majesty gold and silver dishes and other treasury expect dangerous harm, why would it not turn black. This is an entry in the journal of the Armory, made on October 25, 1727 by the authorities of the Treasury. Cm.: Bogdanov I. Unitas, or Short story toilet. M., 2007. S. 42. to the Master's Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin under the responsibility of Prince Vasily Odoevsky and outward quartermaster Pyotr Moshkov. As follows from this document, the same coronation regalia were used as in 1724. From December 1726, Vasily Odoevsky was instructed to manage the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin. In 1727, he made an inventory of all the valuables stored in the Moscow Armory.

Returning to the coronation of 1728, we note that the crown was placed on the head of 13-year-old Peter II by the Archbishop of Novgorod Feofan. It should be recalled that in 1724 Peter I placed the crown on the head of Catherine I. It is clear that all the movements at the coronation were thought out and deeply symbolic. Therefore, the very fact of laying on the head young emperor the crown by the archbishop actually meant a course towards the restoration of relations between church and state, that is, a return to relations that existed in pre-Petrine Russia. The fact is that to all Moscow tsars, including the young Peter I in 1682, the patriarch laid the cap of Monomakh. Peter I changed this system of relations, liquidating the institution of the patriarchate and including the structures of the Orthodox Church in the bureaucratic apparatus of power. It is noteworthy that the same archbishop laid the crown on the head of Anna Ioannovna in 1730; at first she also positioned herself as a supporter of pre-Petrine antiquity. Elizaveta Petrovna returned to her father's political course. This was manifested in big and small, including the fact that during her coronation she again placed the imperial crown on herself. After Elizabeth Petrovna, church hierarchs only presented the crown to the emperors, but they placed it on themselves.

On January 19, 1730, 15-year-old Peter II suddenly died on the eve of his wedding. After the Duchess of Courland Anna Ioannovna promptly put an end to the "invention of the leaders", she no less promptly began preparations for her own coronation. The coronation of Anna Ioannovna took place on April 28, 1730. According to the established tradition, a special table was set up to place the imperial regalia in the Assumption Cathedral: “Somewhat to the right of the imperial chairs, a table covered with rich gold brocade was placed, for the position of the imperial regalia on it.” In the description of the coronation of the Empress, it is indicated that Prince Cherkassky carried the orb on a pillow to the Assumption Cathedral, Count Osterman carried the scepter, and Prince Trubetskoy carried the crown.

Portrait of Peter II. Unknown artist

Coronation camisole of Peter II. France (?). 1728

L. Caravak. Portrait of Empress Anna Ioannovna. 1730

Coronation dress of Anna Ioannovna. Brocade, silk, lace, gold embroidery. 1730

Gold token in memory of the coronation of Anna Ioannovna. 1730

The imperial regalia - the mantle and the crown - were placed on her by Archbishop Feofan. The orb and scepter were used old, from the "big outfit" of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich.

For this coronation, in a very short time, the jeweler Gottfried Wilhelm Dunkel made a new crown, on the top of which, as on the crown of Catherine I, was the same Spafaria spinel. To decorate the crown, the jeweler used 2579 diamonds and brilliants, in addition to 28 large semi-precious stones.

Of the coronation jewelry novelties, one can also mention a diamond agraph, made, as for Catherine I, as a clasp for porphyry.

Also, during the coronation of Anna Ioannovna, for the first time, a diamond chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called was placed on her over the porphyry.

Large imperial crown of Anna Ioannovna. 1730

Crown of Empress Anna Ioannovna

Scepter, mantle and orb of Anna Ioannovna. 1730

Small imperial crown and stash of the mantle. 1730

Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. 1730

Coronation of Anna Ioannovna in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. 1730

I. Vishnyakov. Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. 1743

Coronation dress of Elizabeth Petrovna. Silver eyelet, silk, gold braid. Mantle length 5 m 18 cm, weight 5 kg. 1742

Gold token in memory of the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna. 1742

State Sword. 1742

In addition to the "Big" crown for Anna Ioannovna, they made small crown for ceremonial occasions. Also, for the first time, a special prayer was introduced into the coronation rite, proclaimed by the sovereign kneeling in purple.

There were also nuances. So, at coronations during the chrismation, the anointing of the shoulders was also supposed. For female empresses, clad in corsets, this was a problem. Therefore, during the coronation of Anna Ioannovna, anointing occurred only on one shoulder. This tradition of anointing the shoulders of the empresses was canceled at the coronation of Paul I.

The palace coup that placed “daughter Petrova” on the Russian imperial throne took place on November 24, 1741. Exactly five months later, on April 25, 1742, the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna took place.

Special chief marshal and chief master of ceremonies were appointed to arrange the celebration. When developing the scenario for the coronation celebrations, among other things, changes were made to the list of imperial regalia. For the first time since 1724, this list appeared State Sword.

For the coronation of Elizabeth, they also made another, already the third in a row, new imperial crown which has not reached us. The jeweler I. Pozier, who then worked at the Imperial Court, mentions that “the crown of Empress Elizabeth, which is extremely expensive, consists, like all her attire, of semi-precious stones: rubies, sapphires, emeralds. All these stones are incomparable in their size and beauty.” Unfortunately, in all coronation portraits, Elizaveta Petrovna is depicted wearing the Small Imperial Crown. The image of the Great Imperial Crown was preserved only in the drawing in the coronation album. It should be noted that a light mantle made of Spanish lace embroidered with flowers was worn with the Small Imperial Crown.

It is curious that one hundred and sixty years later, in 1905, which was alarming for the tsarist government, the search for the crown of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna began. This story began at the end of August 1905, when the head of the Peterhof Palace Administration in one of the reports addressed to the Minister of the Court V.B. Frederiksa mentioned that in the Crown Room of the Grand Peterhof Palace "according to legend" the "Crown of Empress Elisaveta Petrovna" was kept. In turn, Fredericks mentioned this in one of his reports to Emperor Nicholas II. As a result, "His Imperial Majesty it was pleasing to express the desire to have accurate information about the aforementioned crown. A well-functioning bureaucratic machine immediately started working and corresponding requests were sent. Tellingly, this whole story developed in the autumn-winter of 1905, when a general strike began in Russia (October), when Nicholas II was forced to make concessions by signing the famous manifesto on October 17, 1905, when the tsar began to hastily withdraw personal capital from Russia, calculating the probability of flight from the country (November), when an armed uprising began in Moscow (December).

Scepter, Great Imperial Crown of Elizabeth Petrovna, Orb. 1742

Matia and zapon of the mantle. 1742

Small imperial crown. 1742

Coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. 1742

Specialists of the Armory, who served in the Moscow Palace Administration, reported (September 13, 1905) that “... among the crowns of the 18th century stored in the Armory, there is one very large gold crown strewn with diamonds, with a very large ruby ​​( Vodoksha lal), bought by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Beijing, in 1676. This crown entered the Chamber in 1741, but without indicating its name, which is why it is simply “Imperial” in the inventory of the Armory. In the absence of any information about the crown of Empress Elisaveta Petrovna, who was in the Imperial Grand Peterhof Palace, it seems difficult, according to the custodian of the Chamber of State Councilor Trutovsky, to consider this crown as the desired one, as well as denying this possibility, since the year the crown entered the Chamber (1741 .) coincides with the year of accession to the throne of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. There are no crowns with an exact indication of their belonging to Empress Elisaveta Petrovna in the Chamber, nor is there any information about their transfer to Moscow.

Officials of the Cameral Department of the Cabinet of E.I.V. also conducted their research, but their answer (October 14, 1905) did not add clarity to this matter: Elisaveta Petrovna, kept, according to legend, in the Imperial Grand Peterhof Palace. At the same time, officials of the Cameral Department asked their colleagues from Peterhof to look for documents on this legendary crown, but even there “no information or instructions regarding ... the crown ... were found.”

Along with this unfavorable response, the officials of the Cameral Department of the Cabinet prepared a certificate for the Minister of the Court about the imperial coronation crowns. For us, this text is indicative, first of all, of the level of knowledge of professional officials in this subject at the beginning of the 20th century: “The first European-style crown was made in 1724, for the coronation of Catherine the 1st. Peter II was crowned with this crown. He ordered the arc dividing the crown to be decorated with a large ruby, bought by decree of Alexei Mikhailovich in Beijing, from the Chinese Bogdykhan, Ambassador Nikolai Spafarii; a diamond cross was attached to the top of it. For the coronation of Anna Ioannovna, a crown was ordered according to the same model, but even more luxurious and larger; the number of stones decorating it reaches 2605 pieces. A ruby ​​taken from the crown of Peter II is placed on the arc. Since 1856, this crown has been called the Polish one and is placed on the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland in the state emblem. Elisaveta Petrovna was crowned with the same crown, slightly altered. The empresses put on at some ceremonies the so-called small or holiday crowns; they were the private property of the Empress and after their death were destroyed, and the stones were distributed according to the will. As we know today, a new crown was made for Elizabeth Petrovna, and she did not use the crown of Anna Ioannovna, as experts at the beginning of the 20th century believed.

They also searched for the crown of Elizabeth Petrovna in the Imperial Hermitage. However, its specialists categorically stated (November 9, 1905) that “there is no information about the crown of Empress Elisaveta Petrovna in the Hermitage; probably, the crown with the Vodoksha lal, which entered the Moscow Armory in 1741, is the very one about which His Imperial Majesty is pleased to have accurate information. For the director, senior keeper Somov. This was reported to Nicholas II.

Returning to the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna, we note that the imperial regalia were brought to the Assumption Cathedral: a mantle on two pillows - Prince Kurakin and Baron von Minich; power - Lieutenant Colonel of the Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment Ushakov; scepter - general-in-chief and senator Chernyshov; crown - Chancellor Prince Cherkassky. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna placed the mantle and crown on herself.

Just like after the coronation of Catherine I, the Imperial regalia were put on public display. For a week and a half from May 7 to May 19, 1742, a huge number of people watched them: “100 nobles, 136,158 other ranks, except for vile ones, and a total of 136,258 people.” Despite the accuracy, the given official figures cause not only surprise, but also doubt. The fact that it was a round-the-clock and continuous flow of people is obvious. The fact that the regalia were protected and the flow of people was regulated is also obvious. The Brockhaus encyclopedia indicates that in 1812 the total number of inhabitants of the capital was 251,131 people. At the same time, in 1742, 136,258 people examined the regalia in 12 days. Undoubtedly, the interest of all segments of the population in the imperial regalia, as visible symbols of the power and wealth of Russia, was enormous. However, as it already happened, after the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, the crown was dismantled, the metal was melted down, and the stones were put on the big crown of Catherine II.

At the end of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, another jewelry rarity appeared, which later became an indispensable element of the coronation attire of Russian empresses. This is a diamond agraph buckle, which cleaved off the stole of Elizabeth. Similar agraphs were used at the coronations of Anna Ioannovna and Elizaveta Petrovna in 1742.

The precious "gown clip" was probably made in 1757-1760. jewelers J.-A. Dubulon and M.I. Ratetsev. 20 g of gold, 319.34 g of silver and 805 diamonds, with a total weight of 475.44 carats, went to this "link". The size of "zapona" 25? 11 cm. Beginning with Catherine II, this massive “diamond stole”, which can withstand a significant weight of the stole, was used to fasten the ends of a heavy mantle worn during coronations or solemn exits of empresses. This agraf (zapona) has been preserved and is exhibited in the historical hall of the Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin.

All the “new” coronation regalia were literally strewn with diamonds, and over time, the fashion for diamonds, as stones, symbolizing power and proximity to power, strengthened, reaching its climax under Catherine II. It was then that diamonds appeared on nobles in the most unexpected places and combinations. Orders for diamond buttons on clothes and diamond-studded snuffboxes became commonplace. Even in a card game, piles of diamonds or rough diamonds sometimes lay next to stacks of gold coins.

Agraph of the mantle of Elizabeth Petrovna

Agraf. Fragments

Thus, by the middle of the XVIII century. a new coronation practice developed, the scenario of which, on the one hand, was associated with the traditions of the Muscovite kingdom, and, on the other hand, by this time new traditions of coronation celebrations according to “imperial standards” were established. An important part of these new standards was the Large and Small Imperial Crowns, which were made for each of the described coronations. Speaking of imperial regalia, it should also be emphasized that jewelry collections of this kind do not arise at once. As a rule, they have their own history. It can be argued that a relatively well-established set of coronation regalia was formed by 1742, in preparation for the coronation of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. The completion of this process can be attributed to the beginning of the 1760s, when hasty preparations began for the coronation of Catherine II, which took place in September 1762.

The basis of the list of coronation regalia of Catherine II was the items hastily created by court jewelers specifically for her coronation: the Great Imperial Crown, orb and scepter. The dates speak of the haste of the work: the coup that brought the empress to the throne took place on June 28, 1762, and the coronation took place in Moscow on September 22 of the same year. At the same time, Empress Catherine II announced her intention to be crowned four days after her accession to the throne, promulgating the corresponding manifesto. In fact, the court jewelers had only two and a half months at their disposal, during which time they had to not only “give birth” to the idea of ​​new crown jewels, but also to embody it in metal and stones. The main task of the jewelers was to create the Great Imperial Crown.

F.S. Rokotov. Portrait of Catherine II

Coronation dress of Catherine II. Brocade, decorative sewing on appliqué, lace. 1762

In his notes, the jeweler I. Pozier, describing the moment of “placement of the order”, did not even mention that Georg Friedrich Eckart worked with him on the creation of a new crown: “... Since the Empress told me that she wanted this crown to remain in the same form after the coronation, then I selected all the largest stones that were not suitable for fashionable decoration, partly diamonds, partly colored, which amounted to the richest thing that exists in Europe. Actually, this phrase exhausts the description of the process of working on the crown. From the previous episodes of I. Pozier's memoirs, it is known that before starting work in metal, the jeweler made a wax copy of the frame of the thing and pressed real diamonds into it, achieving the most advantageous jewelry compositional combinations. For Russia in the middle of the XVIII century. this is certainly an innovative technique, which was successfully used in the work on the Great Imperial Crown. At the same time, the artistic side of working on a unique product that we so admire today was for the jeweler only a part of the production process, which, in turn, was provided by the presence of "big stones".

One way or another, but the jewelers Jeremiah Pozier and Georg Friedrich Eckart managed to solve the main jewelry task in a short time - to create Big imperial crown which all Russian monarchs were crowned from 1762 to 1896. If we talk about the specific contribution to the idea of ​​the crown of each of the jewelers, then, oddly enough, mutual hostility and overt rivalry brought brilliant results. So, the sketch of the crown was made by Pozier, the idea of ​​the slotted frame belonged to Eckart, he selected and fixed the stones on the frame of Pozier, etc.

The gems that adorn the Great Imperial Crown amaze with their splendor and luxury. In total, 75 pearls and 4936 diamonds (58 large and 4878 small, totaling 2858 5/32 carats) are fixed on the crown. The top of the crown is decorated with a magnificent dark red spinel of 398.72 carats. A huge spinel and 75 pearls (weighing 745 carats) weighed about 800 g, and together with the metal, the crown was almost 2 kg (1993.80 g). In total, the crown was decorated with 5012 precious stones weighing 2992 11/32 carats. At the same time, 1 pound of gold and 20 pounds of silver were initially allocated to the crown. The length of the lower circumference of the crown is 64 cm, the height with the cross is 27.5 cm.

Apparently, Catherine II, giving jewelers carte blanche to use any stones and materials in the manufacture of the crown, expressed some pragmatic wishes. This is evidenced by the phrase in the notes of I. Pozier that he tried to make the crown as light as possible: “Despite all the precautions I took to make the crown light and use only the most necessary materials to hold the stones, it turned out to be five pounds of weight."

Coronation of Catherine II. 1762

Fragments of the coronation of Catherine II. 1762

Coronation meal in the Palace of Facets

Nevertheless, the master managed to please the customer, she received a magnificent thing and in a very short time. The court jeweler I. Pozier personally “tried on the crown to Her Majesty”, and Catherine II was “very pleased with her”, saying that “for four or five hours during the ceremony she would somehow hold this weight”. It is clear that Catherine II in this hot time was only interested in pragmatic considerations. It is noteworthy that subsequently, before each coronation, jewelers adjusted this crown on the head of each of the monarchs.

Also noteworthy is the fact that if Pozier writes about “production affairs” in one or two phrases, then he pays much more attention to money issues. Thus, when handing over the Great Imperial Crown to Empress Catherine II, the jeweler Pozier “forged while it was hot”. In the notes, he conveys his dialogue with the empress upon delivery of the order as follows: “... I ask her to reassure me that the emperor still owes me (meaning the murdered Peter III. - Auth.), as this amounts to a very considerable sum in my means, and my friends who gave me credit are persecuting me, demanding payment. “Do you have the bill?” she asked. I filed it because I had it in my pocket. She said: “This sum is quite large, and there is very little money in the Cabinet, and I also need money for the expenses of the coronation. I see that there are items on this bill that are not yet finished, which I do not need, and which I will return to you. As for what remains of this amount, you will talk with Olsufiev, the Cabinet Secretary, and he will arrange so that he will pay you off.

G.-F. Eckart, I. Pozier, Orote, I. Estifeev. Large imperial crown. July-September 1762

Fragments of the Great Imperial Crown

But even this direct order from the empress did not mean that the money would be paid to Pozier, especially since it was about 50,000 rubles. In order to get his money, the jeweler used two factors. First - he was at that moment, the Empress really needed him. The second - in terms of the terminology of the 1990s, and, probably, even today, since this tradition is very stable in Russia, Pozier proposed a "rollback" from 50,000 rubles. in the amount of 2000 rubles. (only 4%) to the Cabinet Secretary Olsufiev, "so that he can sort things out for me."

State and its fragments. 1762

In addition to the Great Imperial Crown by the jeweler Georg Friedrich Eckart, for the coronation in 1762, imperial power. I must say that a lot of effort and nerves were spent on the state. The fact is that initially it was supposed to use the orb with which Catherine I was married to the kingdom in 1724. She was from the ancient “big outfit” of the Moscow tsars. But to the horror of the organizers of the coronation, it turned out that shortly after the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna in 1742, precious stones were broken out of the state by order of the empress, and then gold was also used in business. As a result, the ancient coronation power of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich was destroyed. This story came to light only on September 7, 1762, and the coronation was scheduled for September 22. The jeweler had only two weeks to make a new orb. And, nevertheless, Eckart not only met the deadline, but also produced an item that was impeccable in terms of composition, which served at eight coronations: in 1762, 1797, 1801, 1826, 1829 (the coronation of Nicholas I in Warsaw), 1856, 1883, 1896

It should be added that changes were made to the appearance of the power of the sample of 1762 during subsequent coronations. The most fundamental ones were at the coronation of Paul I in 1797. Then a huge sapphire under the cross and a triangular diamond on the girdle appeared on the orb, purchased from Ivan Ambelikov and for a long time being the second largest in Russia after the famous Orlov diamond.

465.11 g of gold and 305.07 g of silver were used to make the state. 1370 diamonds with a total weight of 221.34 carats and rose-cut diamonds (25 pieces weighing 45.10 carats) became the diamond background of the state. But the main decorations, of course, were a magnificent sapphire weighing 195 carats and a diamond weighing 45 carats. The height of the orb with a cross is 24 cm, diameter 48 cm.

As in the case of the Great Imperial Crown, I. Pozier very vaguely mentions the manufacture of other gift items: “... Before leaving, the Empress gave me a few things to finish for the coronation.” When Pozier appeared in Moscow a few days before the coronation, he was immediately taken to Catherine II, who, according to Pozier, was “very glad to see me, that she was very afraid that I would get stuck on the road in puddles, with all the things that I gave it to her."

In Moscow, during the days of the coronation, the jeweler Pozier had a hard time. And although, according to him, “the empress bought from me a lot of things that she needed for gifts, and since I was paid quite regularly on her orders, I got the opportunity to send money to my Dutch correspondents,” but at the same time, “from the nobles I could not get a penny, and forcibly fought off their requests to lend them as much as they liked ... they demanded things in the name of Her Majesty, and when they received things, they asked not to tell her, promising to pay. Under the "nobles" Pozier, of course, meant the new environment of the Empress, the same Orlov brothers. They already wanted to shine, but did not yet have the material opportunities that they would have later. The jeweler tried to complain to Catherine II about the harassment of nobles from her inner circle, to which the empress replied: “I know, I know ... but I can’t do without these people.”

The literature indicates that for all the jewelry made for this coronation, the jeweler Pozier received 50,000 rubles. It is difficult to say whether the debt of the Imperial Court was included in this amount. Peter III(the same 50,000 rubles), but one way or another, this amount is quite comparable with the entire budget for the coronation celebrations of 1762. In total, 86,000 rubles were spent on jewelry work on the coronation.

In addition to the Great Imperial Crown and orb at the coronation in 1762, they used " Big bouquet”, made for Elizabeth Petrovna in 1757–1760. The bouquet was made up of diamonds and emeralds. Multi-colored foil placed under the diamonds (a common technique used by jewelers in the past) created the effect of a multi-colored “live” bouquet. Only the lilac-pink 15-carat diamond has a natural color. It served as an adornment of the bodice of the ceremonial coronation dress of Catherine II.

Somewhat later, a new one was made for Catherine II. Imperial scepter, adorned with a diamond "Orlov" weighing 189.62 carats. This diamond was presented to the Empress by G.G. Orlov November 24, 1773. After some time, the diamond was inserted into the scepter already prepared for it. The famous jeweler of the time of Catherine II L. Pfisterer made the scepter. 395.56 g of gold and 60 g of silver went to work. The frame of the famous "Orlov" was 196 diamonds weighing 53.20 carats. The length of the scepter with a pommel in the form of a double-headed eagle is 59.5 cm. Since that time (1773), the three main coronation regalia (crown, scepter and orb) have not changed. Under Paul I, the new scepter was first used during the coronation, and thus it officially became one of the imperial regalia.

Scepter and its fragments. 1773

The last coronation of the XVIII century. was the coronation of Paul I and Empress Maria Feodorovna on April 5, 1797. It was this coronation that finally fixed the order of coronation celebrations that were reproduced throughout the 19th century. First, it was the first joint coronation of an emperor and an empress. Secondly, Paul I laid the foundation for the tradition: before the solemn entry into Moscow, stop at the Petrovsky Palace, built by Catherine II. Thirdly, during the coronation, on April 5, 1797 (on the first day of Easter), Emperor Paul I laid on himself a dalmatic, and only then purple. Fourthly, during the coronation procedure itself, Paul I first sat on the throne and, putting the regalia on the pillows, called the Empress Maria Feodorovna to him, who knelt before him. Taking off the crown, Pavel Petrovich touched it to the head of the empress and then again put the crown on himself. Then a small diamond crown was presented, which the emperor placed on the head of the empress. It was this procedure that was repeated during the coronations of Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II. After the completion of the chrismation ceremony right in the Assumption Cathedral, Paul I publicly read the Act of Succession to the Throne.

Coronation of Paul I and Maria Feodorovna. 1797

At the coronation of Paul I, they used the Great Imperial Crown, made for the coronation of Catherine II in 1762. On the eve of the coronation, it was adjusted to the head of Paul I, making it somewhat wider. In addition, 75 pearls were replaced by 54 larger pearls.

As for the Small Diamond Crown, placed by Paul I on the head of Empress Maria Feodorovna, Catherine II ordered it from the jeweler Jean Francois Loubier at the end of 1895. The jeweler completed work on the crown after the death of the Empress, just in time for the start of preparations for a new coronation. Then this Small coronation crown until 1828 it was kept in the rooms of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.

After the death of Maria Feodorovna in November 1828, her crown entered the Diamond Room of the Winter Palace, where it was valued at 48,750 rubles. The crown was kept until the early 1840s, until, at the direction of Nicholas I, it was made into a diamond dress for Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna (daughter of Nicholas I).

V.L. Borovikovsky. Portrait of Paul I. 1800, Russian Museum

It should be noted that, having become emperor, Paul I changed the legal status of the crown imperial regalia. It was under Paul I that they ceased to be expendable inventory and acquired the status of hereditary. Since that time, the complex of imperial regalia ceased to be radically updated from coronation to coronation, but began to be inherited, increasing in number. This was also facilitated by the factor of dynastic stability, provided both by the decree on succession to the throne of 1797, and by a sufficient number of legitimate male heirs.

Therefore, on the eve of each subsequent coronation, the court jewelers not only sorted and cleaned the stones of the crown, but also adjusted the lower rim of the Big and Small imperial crowns on the head of the monarchs who were crowned to the kingdom. For fitting the Great Imperial Crown of Paul I, his court jeweler Jacob Duval on February 19, 1797 received 10,000 rubles.

Nevertheless, for the slender Paul I, the Great Imperial Crown was even outwardly too big. This is especially noticeable in the ceremonial portrait by V.L. Borovikovsky, kept in the exposition of the Russian Museum. Contemporaries who closely followed the emperor noted that he was breathing heavily after a long ceremony and the exhausting weight of his coronation attire. After a ceremonial dinner in the Faceted Chamber, the emperor complained to his eldest son Alexander: “No matter what Duval says, this crown is very heavy.”

It is noteworthy that even during the coronation, the monarchs were united in their desire to discipline not only the courtiers, but also the people closest to them, not allowing the slightest deviation from the established rules. Countess V.N. Golovina recalled: “Everyone was in full dress: for the first time, court dresses appeared, replacing the national costume adopted under Catherine II. The Grand Duchess Elisaveta, next to the diamond brooch that was on her chest, pinned several wonderful fresh roses. When, before the beginning of the ceremony, she entered the Empress, she measured her with her eyes from head to toe and, without saying a word, roughly tore the bouquet from her dress and threw it on the ground. “It doesn’t fit in front toilets,” she said. In this episode, both the features of the character of Maria Feodorovna and the features of her relationship with her daughter-in-law were clearly manifested. When, in 1817, the future Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was married, the story with the flower repeated itself, but in this situation, Maria Feodorovna kept silent.

OK. Pfanzelt. Portrait of Emperor Peter III Fedorovich. 1761

Speaking about the short reign of Paul I, one can also mention a very colorful episode in which the imperial regalia were used. The fact is that Peter III, who was killed shortly after the accession of Catherine II to the throne, was not crowned. After his death, the “tender” wife buried Peter III not in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, where he was supposed to lie “according to status”, but on the outskirts - in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

In December 1796, after the death of Catherine II, Paul I ordered to open the grave of his father and posthumously "crowned" him, touching the Great Imperial Crown to the skull of Peter III. Of course, it was nothing more than a symbolic coronation. Then the funeral procession with the body of Peter III went to the Peter and Paul Fortress, and the participants in the coup of 1762 accompanied the funeral chariot. As a result, Catherine II and Peter III were buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral at the same time.

As you know, the reign of Paul I was short, since he was killed in March 1801 during a palace coup. During the funeral of Paul I, state regalia were carried on pillows after the coffin of the emperor. Count Rumyantsev, later chancellor, and at that time chamberlain, was assigned the duty to carry the scepter. He dropped it and noticed it only after walking twenty paces. The incident gave rise to many superstitious interpretations. It's hard to believe, but the Orlov diamond, embedded in the scepter, was lying on the ground.

The coronation of Alexander I, who became emperor on the tragic night of March 11-12, 1801, took place on September 15, 1801. This coronation was a one-to-one copy of the coronation of Paul I. No changes were made either to the coronation ceremony itself or to the list of coronation regalia It was. However, according to tradition, a new crown was made for the Empress Elizabeth Alekseevna. It was made by the leading jewelers of the turn of the century, the Duvali brothers (according to another version, Jean-Francois Loubier). During the coronation of Alexander I in his hands was “a golden scepter with three belts, which are sprinkled with small diamonds and yahonts; on the top is an enamel double-headed eagle, on whose chest is the name of the Sovereign Emperor Paul I under a crown.

Imperial regalia and crown diamonds after October 1917 The events of October 1917 affected the fate of royal valuables in Petrograd and Moscow in different ways. During the storming of the Winter Palace by the Bolsheviks on the night of October 25-26, 1917, losses were inevitable. Should

From the author's book

Imperial regalia and symbols The imperial title, state symbols and imperial regalia were not just state symbols, but also an integral part of the etiquette (public) part of court life. In Russia, the imperial regalia were the coat of arms,

Coronation dresses. Most of this article is devoted to the Russian empresses. Well, not exactly to them, but to their magnificent dresses made of precious fabrics, embroidered with silver threads and decorated with lace. Stop! Here, the lace on the coronation dresses has not been preserved, or almost not preserved. In any case, these beautiful vestments are much more beautiful and interesting than the current examples of "Haute couture", not to mention the "Casual".

Coronation dresses in the State Armory of the Kremlin

Imperial vestments are stored in the Armory, because originally it was a workshop where precious items of the sovereign's household were made and stored.

Coronation celebrations have always taken place in Moscow, which is why the tradition was born here to transfer the coronation robes of emperors to the collection of the Armory.
In total, there are five such collections in the world, the Moscow collection is not the largest among them. The most representative selection of imperial costumes is presented in Sweden. There are similar meetings in London, in the Tower of London. In Vienna, in the Hofburg Palace, you can see the coronation costumes of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. Another collection exists in Denmark.

The Armory has 17 costumes, 10 of them are for ladies. The uniqueness of the Moscow collection lies in the fact that it is quite complete and allows you to trace the change of traditions and fashion.
In addition to the coronation dresses, the exhibition presents the wardrobe of Peter II, one wedding dress and two masquerade costumes. In addition, many clothes of Russian emperors are stored in the funds of the Armory.

Coronation of Catherine I. Coronation dresses

The first coronation of an empress in the history of Russia took place in May 1724. It was from this date that the tradition was born to transfer ceremonial vestments to the Armory. Peter decided to crown his second wife, Catherine I. He himself was not crowned as emperor. Undoubtedly, preparations were made ahead of time for the coronation ceremony. Peter, traveling around Europe, observed and studied the traditions of the coronation of European monarchs.
Especially for this event, in November 1723, Peter issued the highest manifesto on the coronation of his wife.

Marta Skavronskaya

The future Russian Empress Marta Skavronskaya was born in 1684. In 1708 she converted to Orthodoxy with the name Catherine, and in 1712 she became the wife of Peter. Despite her low origin, she took a fairly strong position at court due to her intelligence, tact and cheerful disposition. The coronation was necessary for many reasons. Thus, the prestige of the Russian court increased, because in Europe the ignoble origin of the wife of the Russian Tsar was not a secret. Peter thought about the future of his daughters Elizabeth and Anna. To give daughters the title of princess, both parents must be emperors.

The form for the imperial crown was chosen similarly to those with which European sovereigns were crowned. Two hemispheres mean church authority, they are similar to the miter of church hierarchs. The raised band between the two hemispheres means secular power, which rises above the spiritual and governs the state.

Coronation dress I. (Coronation in 1724). coronation dresses

The dress for the Empress was ordered in Berlin. Berlin at that time was the European center of embroidery. The dress was embroidered with silver thread using various techniques.
They brought to Russia not a finished dress, but a “cartridge”. "Cartridge" is a pattern of clothes, fastened with seams in only a few places. Usually in the form of "cartridges" they brought men's clothing. Apparently, in Berlin they were very afraid not to guess the size of the suit, so they decided to play it safe and not fasten the clothes with seams so that they could fit it to the figure.


Catherine's dress was brought three days before the coronation and completed in a hurry. Indeed, German dressmakers greatly exaggerated the size of the Russian Empress, the skirt was too wide. The Russian court seamstresses were in such a hurry that the fold behind the skirt was done very carelessly. As a result, the pockets were so displaced that they could not be used. And the pockets in the ladies' closet were very necessary and functional.
Roba - this is how a foreign envoy at the Russian court called the empress' outfit. “She was wearing a magnificent crimson robe embroidered with silver thread,” he wrote in a report.

The whole costume consists of several parts - the bodice, skirt and train are separate parts of the costume. The folds along the bottom of the bodice are called "piccadils" - they were invented by tailors in order to hide the connection of the skirt and bodice. The bodice is stiff, all quilted with whalebone. The waist circumference of the Empress is 97 cm.

Parts of an 18th century woman's dress

The myth that a corset could double the waist is not true. In fact, the maximum that you can pull yourself up to is 5-6 cm. Girls were taught to wear corsets from childhood. It was very difficult to breathe in them, hard corsets squeezed my lungs and did not allow me to breathe deeply. Due to the stagnation of air in the lungs (actually due to corsets), ladies often got sick and died from tuberculosis.

The tablet is a front, triangular plate - an overlay on the bodice. It was made separately, at that time this detail was very fashionable.
The lace trim on the dress has not been preserved. Lace trimmed the neckline and short sleeves. They were so expensive that they were most likely torn off to be reused in other toilets, because the coronation dress was worn only once in a lifetime.
The lower part of the dress is called "pannier" - in French, literally "basket". The shape of the skirt was kept with the help of numerous petticoats that have not survived to this day. The current shape of the skirt is the result of the work of restorers.

Embroidery on dresses. coronation dresses

The embroidery technique on the skirt is attached. Sketched on the fabric. This sketch was sheathed with threads and only embroidered on top with silver thread. The appliqué technique was also used - false embroidered crowns. They do not correspond to the shape of a real crown. Its form was kept in the strictest confidence, the craftswomen did not know what the crown would be and embroidered it in accordance with their imagination. The tablet is embroidered with the most difficult technique - on a substrate or a card.

Cotton wool or fabric was placed under the embroidery pattern, and embroidered with silver on top. This type of embroidery was done by men. The craft of an embroiderer was very much appreciated in Europe, it was prestigious and men did not disdain them.

The dress is not very long. The length of the skirt was made in such a way that when walking, a leg in a shoe with a beautiful crimson ribbon-bow tied around the ankle would be shown.

Coronation mantle of Russian empresses. coronation dresses

During the coronation, Catherine was wearing a mantle over the dress, but it has not been preserved. The collection of the Armory Chamber includes a late ermine mantle of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II.

The ends of the mantle were fastened with a diamond buckle. It's called a graph. A real detective story is connected with the agraph made for the coronation of Catherine I.

There were very few good jewelers at that time. One of them, named Rokentin, assumed that he would receive a coronation order from the king. Roquentin made an excellent graph. But the master himself liked the work so much that he did not want to part with it. He persuaded dashing people and staged an attack and theft, even asked to leave bruises and abrasions on his body. Agraf hid. Peter made an investigation and discovered the deception. At that time, Rokentin was not punished very severely: he was not executed, but simply exiled to Siberia.

Masquerade costume of Catherine I. Coronation dresses

In 1723, a public masquerade was held in Moscow in honor of the anniversary of the Treaty of Nystadt. He passed on Maslenitsa, lasted several days. Many courtiers dressed in Russian costumes, among the masks there were even characters from the Most Joking and Most Drunk Cathedral.

Catherine dressed in an Amazon costume. Accompanying Peter in many military companies, she undoubtedly had the right to do so. Her travesty from the point of view of the fashion of the XVIII century is a man's suit, even despite the skirt. The image was completed by a hat and a sword on the side. Camisoles, similar to the top of the attire, were worn by men throughout Europe. This fancy dress is made in Moscow. They say that it was altered from a tablecloth, because good fabrics were very expensive. The costume was decorated with an ostrich feather, which was borrowed from the Holstein ambassador, but not returned. Diplomatic correspondence has been preserved, in which the envoy insistently asks to return the pen to him.
In 1728 took place coronation of the 12-year-old emperor, who entered the history of Russia under the name of Peter II.

Coronation costume of Peter II . coronation dresses

His coronation costume was made of glazete, an expensive and heavy brocade fabric. This camisole is NOT presented in the main exhibition, it is in the funds. The young sovereign died in January 1730, before he even reached the age of 15. They suspect. that Peter II died of smallpox.
The Armory houses his entire wardrobe. The lad grew very quickly and grew out of his clothes, barely having time to put them on.

The showcase displays almost the entire wardrobe of a Russian nobleman in the first half of the 18th century. The most interesting men's dressing gown. It is called a dressing gown, it was sewn from patterned French silk.

Wardrobe of Emperor Peter II

At that time there was a special fashion to drink coffee in the morning in a dressing gown.
There are also ceremonial men's camisoles made for Peter II. France, where these outfits were sewn, formed the standard of men's fashion for the whole of Europe. The fashion for such camisoles lasted almost 100 years until the end of the 18th century. Men's camisoles were sewn from bright fabrics, their color even rivaled women's dresses.

Fan

In the 18th century, there was a special language of gestures and accessories. For example, with the help of a fan, one could explain himself without saying a word. There was a special sign language and noble maidens were taught it. By opening and closing the fan, it was possible to conduct a dialogue with the gentleman. An open fan with a mask in the collection of the Armory means: “The lady’s heart is busy”, the gentleman should only rely on friendly relations.

Moreover, all gestures must be very fast so that others do not notice what signs the lady gives to the gentleman.

Coronation of Anna Ioannovna

Coronation of Anna Ioannovna took place in April 1730, two months after her arrival in Russia from Courland. (A fragment of the fan can be seen in the picture below).

Coronation dress of Anna Ioannovna. coronation dresses

sewn in Russia from Lyon brocade. He was sewn by his tailor, whom Anna brought with her.
The tablet on her dress is not very prominent, this detail is starting to go out of fashion as well as embroidery. Initially, the dress was a very beautiful pink-terracotta color. But the dye turned out to be unstable and the dress faded over time. The train is unusual, triangular in shape. The lace trim on the neckline and sleeves has not been preserved.

Next to exhibited

Coronation dress of Elizabeth Petrovna. coronation dresses

This dress is the only thing reminiscent of the events of the winter of 1741, because the crown of Elizabeth Petrovna has not survived to this day. The dress was made in Russia from Russian brocade. Elizaveta Petrovna specifically decided to wear a dress made of domestic precious fabric in order to support Russian industrialists. The empress also ordered her court ladies to appear at the coronation in dresses made from domestic fabrics.


After the coronation, the dress could be viewed in the Faceted Chamber. During the time that the imperial robe was presented there, 37 thousand people watched it. People of all classes were allowed to view, except for the meanest, that is, serfs.

Skirt design. coronation dresses

The dress is made of brocade fabric called “eyelet”. By the beginning of the 40s, ladies' fashion had changed and the skirt became prohibitively wide. This is a manifestation of the Rococo style that prevailed at that time. The width of the fizhm corresponded to the court rank. The Empress personally made sure that none of the ladies of the court put on tanks wider than they were supposed to. Wearing such wide skirts was extremely uncomfortable. It was impossible to get into a carriage in them, and in the palaces the doorways had to be specially widened. It was impossible even to sit down in them, so the ladies simply lay down on the floor to rest, and a special maid of honor, standing at the door, guarded their peace. Corsets were made from different materials - metal, wicker. The most expensive corsets were made from whalebone.

They even came up with special levers that regulated the width of the skirt. If the ladies found out that the empress herself would be present at the ball, they could lower the fizma with a lever and reduce the width of the skirt.
Officially, Elizaveta Petrovna was not married and already in 1744 she invited her nephew, the son of Anna's sister, to the court. Soon the bride of the heir, Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst, also arrived in St. Petersburg. In 1745, their wedding took place in the Winter Palace.

Wedding dress of the future Empress Catherine II. coronation dresses

sewn from silver brocade. Silver darkens strongly over the years, and the new brocade looks very impressive, shimmering with reflections of candlelight, glare of sunlight. It seemed that such dresses were forged from silver, and not sewn with needles and threads. The dress was embroidered with silver thread. The embroidery stitches are placed at different angles, and as you move, the dress shone like diamonds.

The wedding dress of Sophia Frederica Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst is in very poor condition. Brocade is woven on a silk basis, with a silver weft. The silk threads broke in many places and the silver threads sagged.
Sovereign Pavel Petrovich transferred the dress to the collection of the Armory for an unknown reason, since it was originally stored in the capital. The dress was torn open, the restorers sewed it again.
In 1762, the coronation of Catherine II took place.

Coronation dress of Catherine II. coronation dresses

also presented in the Armory. It is distinguished by oval figs. In addition, this dress is the only one on which lace has been preserved. The dress is decorated with double-headed eagles, there are about 300 of them all over the field.

Apparently, in such a visible way, Catherine wanted to emphasize the legitimacy of her accession to the throne.

The empress was distinguished by a very thin waist for her 33 years old, with a circumference of only 62 cm. In this dress, the tailors used a new constructive detail - the so-called schnig. It is assumed that he was supposed to visually make the stomach flatter.

Coronations of the imperial couple. Male coronation suit. coronation dresses

After the death of Catherine II for the first time in history Russian Empire The imperial couple, Emperor and Empress, Paul I and his wife were crowned. In this ceremony, much was borrowed from the ceremony of 1724. First, the crown was placed on the emperor, then, turning to the kneeling empress (just like Catherine I before Peter), Paul touched her with his crown and then placed the small imperial crown on the head of his wife. Unlike the large imperial crown, which was the property of the state, the small crown became the property of the empress. Her Majesty could dispose of the small crown at will, even remake it into other jewels.

C early XIX century, emperors began to be crowned in military uniform. It was either a guards general's uniform or the uniform of a general of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In the funds of the Armory, 7 sets of coronation military uniforms have been preserved.

Coronation dress of Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I. Coronation dresses

The dress is made in a transitional style from Empire to historicism.

There is a special ruffle at the bottom of the dress to make the bottom of the dress heavier and keep the shape of the bell. The dress is embroidered with colored glass plates to make it shine and shimmer.
In the middle of the century, they began to wear the so-called Frenchized sundress. It was the order of Emperor Nicholas I to court ladies to wear Russian dress.
Gloves were an indispensable addition to the costume. They were changed very often, each courtier had a lot of gloves. They did not serve long, quickly stretched, lost their shape. And the shape of the gloves was carefully monitored, they had to fit the hand like a second skin, so the expression “change like gloves” is quite appropriate. They sewed gloves made of elk skin or silk.

Coronation dress of Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander II. coronation dresses

is the aforementioned Frenchized sundress. Stylistically, this dress can be attributed to the national revival or “Russian style”. They sewed it in Petersburg. For the first time, sleeves appeared on the coronation dress. The wide placket was not preserved, which was sewn in front of the dress and made it look like a sundress. The plank was adorned with diamonds, diamonds and other precious stones, so it was torn off. A kokoshnik, also adorned with diamonds, was attached to the costume.

Last coronation

G ornostae mantle, presented in the Armory, belonged to Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II. All 14 coronation robes have been preserved in the funds of the Kremlin museums. The mantle of Alexandra Feodorovna is made of 800 ermine skins, they were bought from Siberian merchants.

The last coronation took place in May 1896.. Emperor Nicholas II was crowned with his wife Alexandra Feodorovna. Nikolai was dressed in the uniform of a colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. He was not a general, which is why he was embarrassed to put on a general's uniform.