Russian Decorative Arts

Russia's last great Imperial celebration took place at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg with the lavish ball of 1913 celebrating 300 years of Romanov rule. The finest gowns, jewels, snuff boxes, porcelain and silver tableware of the Tsarist era were ostentatiously displayed then for the last time. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 and the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 brought such flamboyance to an end. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russians have been desperate to track down and buy back their lost heritage. Works by jewellers and silversmiths to the Tsars are particularly sought after today as status symbols, with the market for pre-revolutionary decorative arts touching a wide audience - from the curators at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, to the pre-dawn bargain hunters at the Paris flea markets. 'Russian Decorative Arts' offers an introductory guide to porcelain, glass, silver, Tula work and other base metals, orders and decorations, jewellery, objects of virtue, Faberge, lapidary, woodwork and walrus ivory. Each topic is covered in an illustrated chapter introducing the techniques, its specific Russian characteristics and an overview of the principle makers. AUTHOR: Having grown up in a family of Russian art collectors and lived on and off in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Cynthia Coleman Sparke was hardwired to work in the field. After a stint running the Russian department at Christie's NY, she worked with the Faberge and Imperial porcelain holdings of the Hillwood Museum in Washington D.C. (the largest collection of Russian decorative arts outside of Russia). Then followed a project in St. Petersburg at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo helping with the restoration of Tsar Nicholas II's last residence - the subject of her Masters thesis from the Bard Graduate Center. She currently works as a consultant for Bohams. SELLING POINTS: An informative guide to Russian Decorative Arts and their historical provenances Covers a wide range of crafts including Faberge, jewellery, woodwork, hardstone, glass and porcelain, as well as imperial awards Explores Revolutionary Russia (before 1917) and the Tsarist era, discussing various artefacts as far back as the 16th and 17th centuries with particular focus on the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries Ideal for new and would-be collectors in this field REVIEWS: "At a time when interest in Russia's past has never been so strong and Russian artefacts at auction continue to achieve astonishing prices, Cynthia Coleman Sparke's new book is a timely and indispensable companion for both enthusiastic beginner and established collector" John C Benjamin, Antiques Roadshow jewellery specialist 300 colour illustrations