Catherine the Great, a great patron of the
arts, literature and education
Catherine II also known as Catherine the Great, was one of the greatest
monarchs in the history of Russia, who ruled for 34 years from 1762 to 1796.
Catherine II together with Peter the Great are considered as two of the
greatest rulers of the Romanov dynasty, that ruled Russia for more than 300
years from 1613 to 1917. A German-born Princess married into the Romanov
royal family, Catherine II became a Romanov only by virtue of her marriage to a Romanov, Peter III. She subsequently ousted Peter III in a coup plotted by
her lover Gregory Orlov, and installed herself as the Empress of Russia in
1762. Even though she was not a Romanov by birth, her achievements surpassed
that of all other male Romanov Emperors, except perhaps Peter the Great. Her
period of rule thus represents a climax in the history of the Russian
nobility
Catherine was a great patron of the arts, literature and education. She was
a great collector and connoisseur of the arts, and her personal collection
of art which she started in 1764, eventually metamorphosed into the
Hermitage Museum, in St. Petersburg, one of the largest museums in the
world, with 3 million works of art, which holds the Guinness World Record as
having the largest collection of paintings. She also extended her patronage
to gem and jewelry craftsmen of St. Petersburg, who supplied her court with
fabulous pieces of jewelry that embellished her court during her 34-year
period of rule. The pieces of emerald jewelry dealt with on this webpage
were some of her personal adornments turned out by the court jewelers and
used by her during her period of reign.
List of the items of emerald jewelry
considered
The list of the items of personal emerald jewelry that once belonged to
Catherine the Great's collection, and considered in detail on this webpage
are as follows :-
1) Catherine the Great Emerald Cameo.
2) Catherine the Great's Emerald and Diamond Earrings.
3) Catherine the Great's Emerald and Diamond Brooch and Matching Pair of
Earings
4) A 19th-century Emerald and Diamond Brooch incorporating a 136.25-carat
step-cut rectangular emerald
1) Catherine the Great Emerald Cameo
Common substances used for cameos
Cameos are small sculptures executed in low relief on some substance
precious either for its beauty, rarity or hardness. Common substances that
had been used for cameos since ancient times are gemstones such as emeralds,
turquoise, agate, onyx etc. Such cameos were popular in ancient Greece and
ancient Rome as far back as the 6th century B.C. The Greek Ptolemaic double
cameo executed on a 11-layered onyx dates back to 278-269 B.C. The famous
Gemma Claudia Cameo of Roman origin, made for Emperor Claudius, and executed
on a 5-layered onyx dates back to the year 49 A.D. The Romans also used
artificial glass as a working material for cameos, and such glass cameos
were produced from around 25 B.C. to mid-4th century A.D.
Shells used for cameos during the
renaissance period
Since ancient times cameo carving had enjoyed periodic revivals in the
history of mankind. During the Renaissance period in the 15th and 16th
centuries cameo carving again became popular, but a new material was used
for the first time, shells of mussels and cowries. Subsequently in the
mid-18th century new shell varieties such as "helmet shells" from the West
Indies and the "queen conch shells" from the Bahamas were used in cameo
carving, which gave a boost to the production of shell cameos.
Revival of cameos in the neo-classical
period
The cameos again saw a revival in the neo-classical period in the late 18th
and early 19th centuries, in France, during the period of Napoleon
Bonaparte. The special coronation crown made for Napoleon Bonaparte was also
decorated with cameos. In Britain the revival of cameos took place first
during the rule of King George III (1760-1820), and subsequently during the
reign of his grand-daughter Queen Victoria (1837-1901), By the second half
of the 19th century cameos were mass produced in Britain due to their
popularity.
Emeralds used for cameos after the
mid-16th century
Since the discovery of emeralds in Colombia in the mid-16th century,
emeralds also became a common precious stone material for cameo carving.
Emeralds that were heavily included, with reduced clarity and transparency
were often used for such purposes. Some of the finest emerald portrait
cameos in existence are those of Queen Elizabeth II in the British Museum.
Description of Catherine the Great
emerald cameo
The Catherine the Great emerald cameo is also a portrait cameo executed on
an emerald of Colombian origin in the late 18th century, probably during the
reign of Catherine the Great between 1762 to 1796. The cameo had been carved
by hand, which is one of the most difficult challenges for any gemstone
carver, requiring a highly developed artistic ability, skill and several
years of experience. The Catherine the Great emerald cameo is a masterpiece
in its category that undoubtedly reflects the highly refined artistic skills
of the unknown Russian gemstone carver who executed it.
The Catherine the Great portrait cameo is oval in shape and appears to be
carved on a two-layered stone consisting of emerald and agate (or onyx). The
portrait itself is executed on emerald, which is surrounded by black agate
(or onyx). The portrait is surrounded by diamonds set in a gold frame work.
Two layers of diamonds are distinguishable, each made up of around 50 small
cushion-shaped or round diamonds. The diamond layers are surrounded by a
thick, wavy gold or enameled metallic band consisting of eight lobes. The
entire setting looks like a flower with eight lobes or petals, and could
have been used as a brooch or a pendant to a necklace.
2) Catherine the Great Emerald and Diamond
Earrings
Description of the emerald and diamond
earrings
The pair of identical emerald and diamond pendant earrings were once worn by
Empress Catherine the Great, perhaps as part of a complete emerald suite
that consisted of an emerald necklace, emerald brooch, etc. The whereabouts
of the other components of this suite are not known, but the pair of
earrings are believed to be part of the Imperial Crown Jewels preserved in
the Diamond Fund on the ground floor of the Kremlin's Armory Chamber.
Each earring is made up of two sections, a lower oval or pear-shaped pendant
section and an upper round-shaped section that fits on directly to the ear
lobe. The pendant section of the earring is loosely hooked to the lower end
of the round-shaped section, so that it dangles freely from the ear lobe of
the wearer. The framework of the earring appears to be made of silver or
platinum.
The centerpiece of the lower section is a large pear-shaped cabochon cut
emerald, which is surrounded by a pear-shaped framework with serrated edges
and set with 16 round-shaped diamonds. Between the central pear-shaped
emerald and the diamond studded framework, there is a gap or space on its
lower side.
The most striking features of the earrings
The centerpiece of the round-shaped upper section is a large round
dome-shaped cabochon-cut emerald, which is surrounded by a tight fitting
framework set with 14 large cushion-shaped diamonds. The most striking
feature of this pair of earrings is the color contrast between the central
bright vivid green emeralds and the surrounding white dazzling diamonds, a
pleasing combination that was used in most of the emerald jewelry creations
of this period. Another unique feature of this pair of earrings is the
serrated edges of the lower pendant section section of the earrings. Overall
the "Catherine the Great Emerald and Diamond Earrings" is a masterpiece in
its class belonging to the late 18th century.
3) Catherine the Great's Emerald and Diamond
Brooch and Matching Pair of Earrings
Description of the emerald and diamond
brooch and earrings
The centerpiece of this brooch was a rectangular-shaped, step-cut, dark
green emerald weighing 107.72 carats, and surrounded by two layers of
smaller diamonds. The diamonds in the layer immediately outside the emerald
are much smaller in size, than the diamonds in the outermost layer which are
larger and round-shaped. Triads of diamonds are placed on three sides
of this rectangular-shaped brooch, and on the lower side a cross-shaped
arrangement of five diamonds are placed, from which arises a pendant loop,
with an elongated drop-shaped emerald inside the loop. The loop is also
studded with diamonds.
A matching pair of earrings for this brooch has a central cushion-shaped
emerald as the centerpiece surrounded by a layer of small round-shaped
diamonds. Each earring has a hook on the upper side. The brooch and the pair
of earrings were formerly part of the collection of Empress Catherine the
Great, and were lying in the Russian Crown Treasury created in 1719 by Peter
the Great to house the Crown Jewels and other regalia belonging to the
State.
The emerald and diamond brooch and
earrings are presented to Grand Duchess Vladimir by Czar Alexander II
In August 1874, when Maria Pavlovna married the Grand Duke Vladimir
Alexandrovich, the third son of Czar Alexander II of Russia, she received
the emerald and diamond brooch as a gift from Czar Alexander II. The Grand
Duchess Maria (Pavlovna) Vladimir Alexandrovich was usually seen wearing the
brooch whenever she held court. Grand Duchess Maria and her family finally
escaped from the Caucasus in Russia only on February 13, 1920 during
the Bolshevik revolution, going down in history as the last Romanov to
escape from revolutionary Russia. The Grand Duchess moved to France where
she set up permanent residence. The Grand Duchess had a collection of
jewelry that was one of the most renowned collections among the nobility of
Russia. But, unfortunately as the revolution broke out in 1917, she and her
family were forced to leave St. Petersburg at short notice, and she left her
valuable collection of jewelry in a secret underground vault in the Vladimir
Palace, hoping to return one day after the situation had normalized. Later
the family had to seek the assistance of a British intelligence officer, a
friend of the family, to retrieve the hidden jewelry from the underground
vault, which was smuggled out of Russia in a diplomatic bag.
The emerald and diamond brooch is sold by
Grand Duke Boris to Cartier in 1927
The Grand Duchess Vladimir died on August 24, 1920, just six months after
she escaped from Russia. Her jewelry collection was inherited by her
children. Her son Grand Duke Boris who got most of the emerald jewelry, also
became the new owner of the emerald and diamond brooch. Grand Duke Boris
sold the emerald and diamond brooch to Cartier in 1927.
The emerald and diamond brooch is set as a
pendant to a necklace and sold to John D. Rockefeller Jr.
In the year 1947, Pierre Cartier re-mounted the emerald and diamond brooch
as a pendant to an emerald necklace, that Raphael Esmerian, the New York
lapidarist and dealer had purchased from the Payne Whitney family. Later in
1954, the rectangular shaped emerald was cut into a pear-shaped emerald to
eliminate a natural flaw in the stone, and the weight of the emerald
decreased from 107.72 carats to 75.63 carats. Subsequently, in the same year
the necklace was purchased by John D. Rockefeller Jr. from Cartier.
4) A 19th-Century Emerald and Diamond Brooch
incorporating a 136.25-carat step-cut rectangular emerald
A 19th-century Emerald and Diamond Brooch, whose centerpiece is the
136.25-carat step-cut rectangular emerald, is a significant piece of jewelry
in the Russian Diamond Fund in the Kremlin's Armory Chamber. The
136.25-carat step-cut Colombian emerald that dates back to the 16th or 17th
century, is one of the seven historical precious stones in the Russian
Diamond Fund. The list of the seven historical gemstones in the Diamond Fund
are :-
1) The 189.62-carat Orlov diamond
2) The 88.7-carat Shah diamond
3) The 25-carat flat portrait diamond
4)
The 398.72-carat Catherine the Great's Ruby (spinel)
5) 260.37-carat blue sapphire
6)
136.25-carat step-cut Colombian emerald (External Link)
7) 192.6-carat olive-green chrysolite
The emerald and diamond brooch set in gold and silver was executed in
the second half of the 19th century, possibly during the period of Czar
Alexander II (1855-1881) or his successor Czar Alexander III (1881-1894) or
the last Czar of the Russian Empire, Czar Nicholas II (1894-1917). The
136.25-carat step-cut rectangular emerald has dimensions of 4.5 x 3.5 cm.
The emerald is believed to have originated in Colombia in the 16th or 17th
centuries, and thus could have originated in the Muzo or Somondoco (Chivor)
emerald mines of Colombia, two of the historic mines that were in full
production during this period. But given the dark herbal green color of the
emerald it appears that the source of the emerald was the Muzo mines.
The large emerald is the centerpiece of this magnificent brooch, that is
surrounded by cut diamonds set in floral-foliage patterns alternating with
single large round shaped diamonds. There are six floral-foliage patterns
alternating with six large round-shaped diamonds. Again the color contrast
between the central dark green emerald and the surrounding white
diamonds is very striking. It's a great relief for lovers of art and jewelry
worldwide that this unique and historic piece of the Crown Jewels of the
Great Russian Empire was able to survive the tumultuous period of the
Russian revolution and subsequent attempts to dispose of them, and has thus
become a component of the common world heritage.
Related :-
Catherine the Great Emerald and Diamond Necklace
Grand
Duchess of Vladimir Tiara
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References
1. The Diamond Fund - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia.
2. Cameo - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia.
