Porcelain caviar dishes, circa 1900, made for Grand Duke Pavel (Paul) Alexandrovich, with raspberry-red borders, gilded rims and partially gilded shaped handles, decorated with two-tone gold monogram Cyrillic ‘PA’ under the Imperial crown, marked with decorator’s initials only, perhaps made by Kuznetsov. Length 5 1/2 in. (13,4 cm). Condition: minor rubbing to gilt circles around the monograms, otherwise fine.

Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich (1860-1919), the sixth and the last son of Alexander II and uncle of Nicholas II, Major-General and commander in chief of the Life Guard Horse regiment, was married to princess Alexandra of Greece (died in 1891). In January 1919, the Grand Duke was executed in St. Peter and Paul Fortress, together with other members of the Romanov family, who stayed in St. Petersburg.

Photograph taken at the Tsarskoe Selo palace in the late 1890s: first from the left – Grand Duke Pavel, first from the right – czar Nicholas II.

1896 photograph taken during the coronation festivities in Moscow. Grand Duke Pavel is wearing a dark uniform, czar Nicholas II is first from the left.