Lot number 158 - Auction 151
AUS DEM ROMANOW-PALAST ILJINSKOJE: BEDEUTENDER SECRÉTAIRE DE DAME MIT FIGÜRLICHEN BESCHLÄGEN

FROM THE ROMANOV PALACE ILJINSKOJE: AN IMPORTANT ORMOLU-MOUNTED SECRÉTAIRE DE DAME French, Paris, 1745-1749 Mahogany and rosewood veneer, gilt-bronze mounts, leather-inlaid writing surface. Bronze mounts with the C couronné (French tax stamp). Underside with inventory label of the Iljinskoje Palace beneath the Imperial crown. Minor losses. 100 × 97 × 45 cm. The Palace of Iljinskoje is situated about 30 kilometers west of Moscow on the banks of the Moskva River. The estate was first mentioned in the 17th century as a nobleman's property. Its present form dates largely from the 19th century, when it belonged to the princely Yusupov family - one of the wealthiest families of the Russian Empire. Under Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, the estate was developed into a neoclassical summer residence, comprising the main palace, several outbuildings, and an extensive landscaped park. Iljinskoje was regularly frequented by members of the high nobility and later also by members of the Romanov dynasty. In the 1860s, Emperor Alexander II gifted the estate of Iljinskoje near Moscow to his consort, Empress Maria Alexandrovna. After her death, the estate passed to her son, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, brother of Emperor Alexander III. His wife, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, spent much time at Iljinskoje, as did other members of the Imperial family. The estate was considered one of the Romanovs' favored summer retreats. During the remodeling and expansion of the residence, numerous furnishings were transferred from the Imperial palaces in St. Petersburg to Iljinskoje. Several of these pieces are preserved today and displayed in the "New Jerusalem" Museum.