Origin of name
A portrait diamond also known as lasque is a an ancient
Indian cut, in which the diamond is cut in the form of a thin slab or sheet,
of different shapes such as rectangular, square, pear, etc. with a polished
upper and lower surface, and simple facets on the sides. The diamonds were
used to cover miniature paintings and therefore came to be known as portrait
diamonds. The Russian Portrait diamond covers a miniature portrait of Czar
Alexander I, who reigned between 1801 and 1825.
Characteristics of the
diamond
Portrait diamonds were designed to reveal features of a
miniature portrait covered by it and as such were cut as thin sheets, with
well polished upper and lower surfaces. Moreover, only colorless diamonds
were suitable for this purpose as it could transmit all light passing
through it. Besides only diamonds of good clarity without any inclusions
were usually selected for such purpose. Judging by modern color and clarity grades,
portrait diamonds would perhaps be D-color diamonds, that are absolutely colorless,
with an internally flawless clarity grade.
The Russian Portrait diamond is a thin flat pear-shaped
diamond, with dimensions of 40 x 29 mm and weighing approximately 27 carats.
It is said to be the largest portrait diamond in the world, and covers a
miniature portrait of Czar Alexander I of Russia.
Portrait diamonds are also a type of table-cut diamonds,
the simple diamond cut developed by ancient Indian diamond cutters, in
keeping with the simple tools, techniques, and materials available at that
time. The original table cuts had a few flat facets, usually cuboidal in
shape and without a culet. Examples of such table-cut diamonds are the
famous "Grand Table" diamond, the "Dary-i-Nur", and the "Shah Jahaan
Table-Cut" diamond. With the passage of time a culet was introduced on one
side, but the large rectangular or square-shaped upper table surface was
retained.
Table-cut portrait diamonds were quite popular in Russia
and besides the 27-carat Russian Table Portrait diamond, we come across
other portrait diamonds fixed to jeweled "Easter Eggs."
History
The Russian Portrait diamond dates back from the
year 1820 during the reign of Czar Alexander I, that lasted between 1801 and
1825. The diamond believed to be the largest portrait diamond in the world,
weighing 27 carats, covers a miniature portrait of Czar Alexander I, painted
on ivory. The portrait diamond is the centerpiece of a Gothic style, old
Indian, gold and enamel bracelet. After Czar Alexander's death the bracelet
became the property of the Russian diamond fund, and remains in their
custody up to this day.
The Russian Diamond Fund
The forerunner of the Russian diamond fund known as
the Russian Crown Treasury was started in 1719, by
Emperor Peter the Great, to separate the Romanov family wealth from that of
the State. Peter placed all state regalia in this fund and declared that all
state holdings were inviolate and could not be altered, sold or given away.
He also decreed that each subsequent emperor should leave a certain number
of pieces acquired during their reign to the state, for the permanent glory
of the Russian Empire.
Accordingly Peter the Great and his Romanov descendants
swelled the coffers of the diamond fund with all kinds of ornaments,
such as jewel studded necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, brooches, and
other royal paraphernalia, such as crowns (diadems), tiaras, royal scepters,
swords etc.
The Kremlin Diamond Fund has seven celebrated
historical diamonds and gems in its collection, of which the flat portrait
diamond is one.
1) The 189.62-carat, rose-cut, D-color Orlov diamond,
presented to Empress Catherine the Great, by her former lover Count Grigory
Grigoryevich Orlov. Catherine got the diamond mounted on the top of the
royal scepter, with its domed top facing forward.
2) The 88.7-carat, table-cut, yellow colored, Shah
Diamond, inscribed with the names of three former rulers of India and
Persia, in Arabic, and presented to Emperor Nicholas I, in 1829 by Fath Ali
Shah, the Qajar ruler of Iran.
3) The 27-carat flat portrait diamond covering a
miniature portrait of Czar Alexander I , set in a Gothic style bracelet.
4) The 398.72-carat red spinel attached to the Great
Imperial Crown of Catherine the Great.
5) The 260.37-carat Ceylon Blue Sapphire of exceptional
color and clarity, purchased in London in 1862 by Czar Alexander II, and set
in a gold and silver brooch containing 56.6 carats of diamonds, and
subsequently presented to the diamond fund in 1882.
6) A 192.6-carat olive-green chrysolite.
7) A 136.25-carat Columbian emerald.
Transfer of the treasures
from St. Petersburg to Moscow
Previously the Romanov ceremonial regalia, jewels and
jewelry were kept in the Diamond Chamber, specially constructed for this
purpose by Peter the Great, at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. But,
with the outbreak of world war I in 1914, concerns were raised about the safety of
these priceless treasures, with the expected invasion of Russia by the
Germans. The Emperor of Russia at that time Czar Nicholas II, the last of
the Romanov rulers who ruled between 1894 to 1917, ordered that the
treasures be packed in crates and transferred to Moscow, where it was hidden
in the underground vaults of the Kremlin Armory. Then came the Bolshevik
Revolution of 1917, and the overthrow of the monarchy, and the subsequent
execution of Czar Nicholas II and his family. The treasures were then
completely forgotten until they were re-discovered in 1922, in the armory
basement, still packed inside their crates.
Under the orders of Vladimir I. Lenin every single item
among the treasures was photographed and catalogued, and consigned to a
specially created entity known as the Russian State Diamond Fund, under the
Ministry of Finance. However after the death of V. I. Lenin, when in 1927
the Communist Government of Russia ran short of cash, more than 100 lots of
the treasures were sold by public auction by Christie's of London, and was
purchased by investors and collectors from around the world, including
Americans. The present whereabouts of these sold items are not known.
Additional private sales of items also took place in 1931 and 1932, and
eventually about two-thirds of the original collection was sold off. What
remains of the Romanov collection of jewels and jewelry today is only about
one-third of the original collection. Since the fall of communism most of
the pieces in the collection have been put on permanent display at the
Kremlin Armory Museum.
Display of the Russian
Portrait diamond in the United States.
The Russian portrait diamond as the centerpiece of the
original Gothic style gold and enamel bracelet together with some 200 items
from five major Russian collections, including the Russian Diamond Fund,
were displayed at a special exhibition held in several cities of the United
States in the year 1997, to mark the 125th anniversary of the visit to the
United States by the Grand Duke Alexei in 1871, fourth son of Czar Alexander
II , who ruled between 1855 and 1881. The exhibition also displayed
documents and memorabilia relating to that historic visit made at the
invitation of President Ulysses S. Grant to thank Czar Alexander II, for
sending naval squadrons to U.S. shores during the civil war to discourage
foreign intervention.
Besides the memorial bracelet dating back to 1820,
incorporating the Russian Portrait Diamond covering a miniature portrait of
Czar Alexander I, other significant items on display at this exhibition were
:-
1) A spectacular brooch set with a 260-carat Ceylon Blue
Sapphire of exceptional color and clarity, surrounded by 56.6 carats of
diamonds. The stone with a medium dark saturated blue color was purchased by
Czar Alexander II in 1862, and presented to the diamond fund in 1882.
2) Caesar's "Ruby" - This is a 52-carat egg-sized pink
tourmaline (rubellite) formerly thought to be a ruby and said have belonged
at one time to the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar. The massive semi-precious
stone carved in the form of a bunch of grapes is set in a unique pendant. A
gold stem and enamel leaves were added in the 17th century giving it a
raspberry like appearance. This unique pendant was given as a gift to
Empress Catherine the Great by King Gustav of Sweden, in 1777, during an
official visit to Russia.
3) A loose collection of about ten rough and polished
alexandrite gemstones, with unique color changing characteristics.
Alexandrites were first discovered in the Ural mountains of Russia, in the
year 1831, and was named after Prince Alexander, the eldest son of Czar
Nicholas I (1825-55), who subsequently succeeded his father as Czar
Alexander II (1855-81). The unique characteristic of alexandrite is its
color changing ability. While in normal daylight the stone appears to have a
green or bluish green color, in incandescent light the color of the stone
changes to red or purplish red. Alexandrite was the national stone of
Czarist Russia, as the colors green and red were important colors in the
imperial flag of Russia.
4) A pair of diamond and ruby earrings in the form of
cascades.
5) An 18th century diadem made by jewelry designers in
Russia in 1760, designed as a garland of flowers beset by bees. The tiny
diamond bees are attached by small springs, and with the movement of the
wearer the "bees" appear to be moving and buzzing over the blossoms. The
unique diadem is accompanied by a pair of earrings also shaped like bees.
6) A reproduction of the spectacular "Russian Field"
diadem made in St. Petersburg for Empress Maria Feodorovna, consort of Czar
Nicholas I, designed in the shape of laurel leaves and sheaves of wheat, in
diamond and gold, and consigned to the diamond fund in 1828. The original
diadem was sold off in 1927, during difficult times, by the Government of
Russia.
The show that was first of its kind organized outside of
Russia, was the first time that the treasures of the Romanov period ever
left Russian soil, and was jointly organized by the American Russian
Cultural Co-operation Foundation (ARCCF) and the Russian Organizing
Committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Ignatenko. The exhibition
was held in several American cities such as Washington, Houston, San Diego,
and Memphis.
Table portrait diamonds
used in jeweled Easter eggs
Table portrait diamonds had been used in different
jewelry settings in Russia. One such setting was the famous jeweled "Easter
Egg" and other "eggs" produced during special occasions such as the
"Coronation Egg" and the "Fifteenth Anniversary Egg."
Easter Eggs -The Kelch hen egg also known as a "Faberge
Egg" was designed by the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Faberge, and the
workmanship was carried out by Michael Perchin in 1898. It was a gift
by Alexander Kelch to his wife Barbara Kelch Bazanova. The length of the egg
is 8.4 cm. The egg has a translucent, strawberry red, guilloche enamel
exterior, divided into two halves and opens horizontally in the middle. The
border of the hinged cover is set with small diamonds all round, and the
thumb piece where the two halves fit, is mounted with a table portrait
diamond that covers the year 1898, the year of production of the
masterpiece. Another table portrait diamond mounted at one end of the egg,
covers a miniature of Czar Nicholas II, and is encircled by other smaller
diamonds.
When the hinged cover which represents the upper half of
the egg is opened, it reveals the opaque white enameled "white" part of the
egg and the hinged opaque yellow enameled "Yolk" of the egg. When the "yolk"
of the egg is opened, it reveals a gold colored hen, also made in two
halves, enameled in translucent shades of orange, yellow, red and brown. The
interior of the "yolk" that houses the golden hen is lined with suede. The
eyes of the hen are set with diamonds, and the two halves of the hen are
hinged at the tail, and the upper half of the hen can be opened backwards,
revealing the surprise contained within, in the form of a gold easel and
frame set with rose-cut diamonds, containing a miniature portrait of Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaievich. The finial of the easel is mounted with a
heart-shaped diamond and a flame carved ruby, and on top of the frame is a
diamond set ribbon bow.
The Imperial Coronation Egg is another jeweled
"Faberge Egg" made under the supervision of Peter Carl Faberge, by craftsman
Mikhail Perkhin and Henrik Wingstrom, to commemorate the 1896 coronation of
Czar Nicholas II. The Coronation Egg was presented as a gift to the Empress
consort of Czar Nicholas II, Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna, on the Easter of
1987. The egg has a translucent, gold colored guilloche enamel exterior,
with a large portrait diamond set on the top of the egg, surrounded by a
cluster of ten brilliants. A monogram of the Empress can be seen through the
portrait diamond. A second and smaller portrait diamond is set at the bottom
of the egg, surrounded by a cluster of rose diamonds beneath which the year
1897 is inscribed. When the egg is opened it reveals a velvet lined
compartment that houses a roughly four inch long miniature replica of
the Imperial Coach that carried Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna to her
coronation to Moscow's Uspensky Cathedral.
The "Fifteenth Anniversary Egg" is another Faberge
Imperial Easter egg, presented by Emperor Nicholas II to his Empress consort
Alexandra Fyodorovna on Easter 1911, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of
their coronation. This Easter egg was one of the most elaborate of all the
Easter eggs, with the shell of the egg divided into 18 panels, bordered by
green enameled leafage. Sixteen of the panels are occupied by 16 miniatures,
of which seven are oval portrait miniatures of the Imperial family within
diamond-set borders. The other nine miniatures are nine historical scenes
from the reign of Nicholas II. The remaining two panels on the shell are
occupied by two oval shaped reserves with diamond set borders enclosing the
dates 1894, the year of wedding of Nicholas and Alexandra, and 1911, the
year of the fifteenth anniversary of their coronation. The top of the egg
was inscribed with the Imperial monogram of Alexandra Fyodorovna covered by
a round-shaped table portrait diamond, surrounded by a diamond set border.
The bottom of the egg was also mounted with a diamond encircled by a
diamond-set border. The egg was supported by a gold tripod stand.
