A Rare Collection of 13 Antiquarian Russian and European 18th-19th Century Books
Some of the books in the collection were sold to the West by the Soviet Government in the 1930’s.
For Sale
Коллекция антикварных Русских и Европейских книг 18-19 века
из Императорских дворцовых библиотек Русских Царей, Цариц, Великих Князей и Княгинь.
Некоторые книги из этой коллекции были проданы на Запад Советским правительством в 1930-тые годы.
Продажа
All books in the collection have full leather bindings
and most of them are with SUPER EX LIBRIS – a heraldic symbol stamped in gold on the leather covers.
Все книги имеют цельно кожаные переплеты и большинство – супер экслибрисы в золоте.
No. 1
A book from the Pavlovsk Palace library of Empress Maria Feodorovna (1759-1828), wife of Paul I.
Both covers are embossed in gold with the heraldic super exlibris of Maria. It displays three coats of arms laid on large Russian double-headed eagle: the center one, with a smaller Russian Imperial eagle, is flanked by the coat of arms of the Dukes of Wurttemberg (Maria’s paternal family) and the coat arms of the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp (her husband’s paternal family). The Imperial eagle is holding a ribbon with the cross of St. Catherine Order in its beaks.
Identical super ex libris is published in “Bookplates and Their Owners in Imperial Russia” by Marguerite Studemeister, 1991, page 26.
sold
The Pavlovsk palace (20 miles from St. Petersburg) was built by Catherine the Great as a summer residence for her son Grand Duke Paul (later czar Paul I) in 1777. In 1781, Grand Duke Paul and Grand Duchess Maria visited Paris, where numerous objects (including books) were purchased for their newly built palace.
No. 2
Czar Alexander I. An important two volume set from the library in the Tsarskoe Selo (Tsar's Village) Palace.
10 1/4 x 13 3/8 in. (26 x 34 cm), 570 and 720 pages.
Tsarskoe Selo (located 16 miles south of St. Petersburg) is world famed for its elegant palaces and pavilions, landscape parks and ponds. It served as a primary summer residence of the Russian czars. Tsarskoe Selo was also the place for official receptions of Russian nobility and representatives of foreign states, who were visiting Russia with diplomatic missions.
sold
Both covers of the volume II are embossed with the gilt Imperial eagle.
Volume I – 1823
Condition: leaves of both volumes are clean and bright
Both volumes with the stamp ‘Bibliotheque de Tsarskoe Selo’ on the titles in black ink.
Parallel text in Russian and French
This is one of the rare Russian bindings with the name of the binder “SEGELKIN” on the spine.
All edges are gilded
Condition: the spine of the volume I was expertly repaired, some wear on rims.
No. 3
From the library of Czar Alexander I at the Tsarskoe Selo.
Memoirs of Prince Iakov Shachovskoy are covering the period of 45 years. From 1719, when he entered the service, till his resignation in 1764. An interesting historical account of the Court life and intrigues written by a highly placed witness. The publisher states in the preface that these are the first historical memoirs written in Russian.
sold
Ex-Soviet Government sale to an American book dealer, summer of 1933; The Plaza Book Auction Corp. public sale in New York, April 12th-13th, 1934, lot No. 412.
No. 4
The following book is probably from the private library of Tsar Nicholas I in the Winter palace.
Each panel is stamped in gold with the badge of the Order of Saint Andrew (St. Andrew cross laid on the double headed Imperial eagle).
sold
No. 5
A book from the private library of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (1798-1860), wife of Tsar Nicholas I, in the Winter Palace.
Both covers are embossed with the Russian Imperial eagle in gold.
Paper bookplate of the Empress: crowned monogram Cyrillic ‘AF’ between shields with Russian (left) and Prussian (right) eagles. The Empress Alexandra was a Prussian princess by birth.
sold
No. 6
A book from the Novo-Michailovsky Palace library of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich (1832-1909), son of Czar Nicholas I, Commander of the Russian artillery.
The cover is embossed in gold with a double-headed Imperial eagle.
Paper bookplate with Imperial monogram of Grand Duke Michael.
Paper label of the Novo-Michailovsky palace.
sold
No. 7
A book from the Marble Palace library of Grand Duke Constantine Nikolaevich (1827-1892), son of Nicholas I, Commander of the Russian Navy.
Both covers are with embossed in gold Imperial eagle.
Paper bookplate with Imperial monogram of Grand Duke Constantine.
A later inscription in ink ‘From the library of the Marble palace 1925’.
sold
No. 8
A book from the library of Grand Duke Constantine Nikolaevich in the Pavlovsk palace.
Both covers are decorated with the arms of the Pavlovsk palace: the badge of the Maltese Cross Order laid on the Russian Imperial eagle. Emperor Paul I, to whom the palace was given by his mother Catherine II, accepted the title of Grandmaster of the Order and added the cross to the Russian eagle in December 1798, after the island of Malta was captured by the French forces. In the 19th century, Pavlovsk belonged to Grand Duke Constantine Nikolaevich and later to his son – Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich.
Paper bookplate with Imperial monogram of Grand Duke Constantine.
sold
No. 9
Czar Alexander II. A book from the church library of the Nikolaevsky Palace
Stamp of the Nikolaevsky Palace Church
No. 10
Presentation copy inscribed by the author to Czar Alexander II
H. de Mirabal. Manuel Des Courses (book on horse racing), Paris, 1867, 4 4/8 x 7 1/16 in. (11,6 x 18 cm).
Full green morocco, gilt tooled spine and gilded edges.
$4,600.00
reserved
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The presentation inscription is dated June 20, 1867.
No. 11
A book from the private library of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (1872-1918), wife of Nicholas II, in the Alexander Palace.
sold
The front cover is boldly stamped with cipher of Empress Alexandra: ‘A’ under a large Russian Imperial crown.
Comes with a receipt, dated ‘Christmas, 1934’, from the Hammer Galleries stating that the book is from the personal library of the empress in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoe Selo.
Some restoration to the spine.
No. 12
A book from the library of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna (1882-1960), daughter of Alexander III, sister of Nicholas II.
$2,500.00
reserved
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10 day return, free worldwide and insured shipping
The cover is embossed in gold with a crowned facsimile in French:
Princesse Olga.
The spine with a monogram ‘O.’ under a large Imperial crown.
All edges are gilded.
No. 13
From the library of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich.
Library paper label is decorated with the monogram of Grand Duke Paul: four Cyrillic letters ‘П’ forming a cross, with four Imperial crowns between the arms of the cross.
Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, the sixth and the last son of Alexander 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.
Grand Duchess Olga Book
from the Alexander Palace
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna
signed photograph
Shuvalov Book 1750s
Czar Nicholas II
Coronation poster 1896
