Royal Russia

Icon and Devotion offers the first extensive presentation in English of the making and meaning of Russian icons. The craft of icon-making is set into the context of forms of worship that emerged in the Russian Orthodox Church in the mid-seventeenth century. Oleg Tarasov shows how icons have held a special place in Russian consciousness because they represented idealized images of Holy Russia. He also looks closely at how and why icons were made. Wonder-working saints and the leaders of such religious schisms as the Old Believers appear in these pages, which are illustrated with miniature paintings, lithographs and engravings never before published in the English-speaking world. By tracing the artistic vocabulary, techniques and working methods of icon painters, Tarasov shows how icons have been integral to the history of Russian art, influenced by folk and mainstream currents alike. As well as articulating the specifically Russian piety they invoke, he analyzes the significance of icons in the cultural life of modern Russia in the context of popular prints and poster design.

The histories of the British and Russian royal families have been entwined for centuries. In the first publication to examine the relationship between Britain and Russia using artworks drawn exclusively from the Royal Collection, 'Russia: Art, Royalty and the Romanovs' interweaves the familial, political, diplomatic, and artistic stories of these two nations over more than four hundred years.0From initial contacts in the mid-sixteenth century, through alliances, marriages, and two World Wars, up to the current reign, this richly illustrated book gives readers a glimpse into the public and personal dealings of these two fascinating dynasties. With new research on previously unpublished works, including Imperial porcelain, arms, costume, insignia, and photographs, together with paintings by both Russian artists and British artists working in Russia, this will be the first time that the uniquely interlinked narrative of the art connecting the two royal families has been presented in such stunning, lavishly illustrated detail. Exhibition: The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, UK (09.11.2018 - 28.04.2019).

“[A] superb history.... In these thrilling, highly readable pages, we meet Rasputin, the shaggy, lecherous mystic...; we visit the gilded ballrooms of the doomed aristocracy; and we pause in the sickroom of little Alexei, the hemophiliac heir who, with his parents and four sisters, would be murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918.” —The Wall Street Journal Here is the tumultuous, heartrending, true story of the Romanovs—at once an intimate portrait of Russia's last royal family and a gripping account of its undoing. Using captivating photos and compelling first person accounts, award-winning author Candace Fleming (Amelia Lost; The Lincolns) deftly maneuvers between the imperial family’s extravagant lives and the plight of Russia's poor masses, making this an utterly mesmerizing read as well as a perfect resource for meeting Common Core standards. "An exhilarating narrative history of a doomed and clueless family and empire." —Jim Murphy, author of Newbery Honor Books An American Plague and The Great Fire "For readers who regard history as dull, Fleming’s extraordinary book is proof positive that, on the contrary, it is endlessly fascinating, absorbing as any novel, and the stuff of an altogether memorable reading experience." —Booklist, Starred "Marrying the intimate family portrait of Heiligman’s Charles and Emma with the politics and intrigue of Sheinkin’s Bomb, Fleming has outdone herself with this riveting work of narrative nonfiction that appeals to the imagination as much as the intellect." —The Horn Book, Starred Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature Winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Nonfiction A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist Winner of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction

This splendid album of rare and unpublished photographs from the Romanovs' own albums is an intimate portrait of the private and public lives of the family of Nicholas II, Russia's last tsar. This unique collection is taken from the personal album of the Tsar's daughter, Grand Duchess Maria, and from the Tsarina Alexandra's own commemorative album, both now in the James Blair Lovell Archive. An extraordinary chronicle of a way of life that ended in 1918 with the brutal execution of nearly every member of the Imperial Family pictured here.

This volume is a reproduction of two photograph albums belonging to the Russian Imperial Family, some of which were taken by Tsar Nicholas II's daughters, as well as by the Tsar himself. The first album, created by the Grand Duchess Maria, contains 40 b&w personal photographs, previously unpublished, of Imperial life. The second, which belonged to the Tsarina Alexandra, has some 30 photographs, unseen until now, of the Romanovs at work with their subjects and relaxing at home and on their estates. An additional 30 rare prints complete this record of a priviliged era that vanished in 1918. These albums are part of the estate of the Romanov historian, James Blair Lovell, passed on to him by Gleb Borkin, the son of the family doctor who was executed with the Imperial Family in 1918. Many of the photographs are accompanied by captions translated from the original Russian. This text gives detail on their social, historical and political background. When James Blair Lovell died in 1994, he left an important archive of Romanov documents and artefacts.

Traces the history of imperial Russia from Peter the Great to the Bolshevik Revolution, examining court and peasant life, the Orthodox church, and the effects of industrialization.

The worlds fascination with the Russian imperial family endures, and with this stunning book a new spotlight is added. "Jewels of the Tsars," the first book to examine the familys unparalleled collection, is illustrated with extraordinary photographs taken under special conditions at the Kremlins Diamond Fund, and accompanied by 18th- and 19th-century portraits and photographs of the Tsars, their families, and their court. Prince Michael of Greece, a Romanoff descendant, writes with an insiders knowledge of his familys passion for rare and beautiful jewels, and their place in the troubled history of Imperial Russia.

Praise for The Court of the Last Tsar ""Any book by Greg King is a book to be kept and savored. He has not only given us a fresh, clear-eyed, and often startling new look at the life of the last Romanovs, but also lived up to the promise of his title. He has shown us how the whole enterprise worked, from Tsar Nicholas to his lowest cook and chambermaid. This book is a great work of scholarship--and a wonderful read."" --Peter Kurth, author of Tsar: The Lost World of Nicholas and Alexandra and Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson ""A mammoth, monumental achievement. No other book captures the essence and the entire scope of life at the court of Nicholas II. It's a thoroughly enjoyable and encyclopedic masterpiece that will be a major source for historians and biographers for years to come."" --Marlene A. Eilers, author of Queen Victoria's Descendants and publisher of Royal Book News ""Greg King has truly written a tour de force. The book is extremely well researched, has over 100 illustrations and is, quite simply, marvelous."" --Coryne Hall, author of Little Mother of Russia, Once a Grand Duchess, and Imperial Dancer ""Greg King is emerging as one of the leading authorities in today's liveliest field of Russian studies, and this is a major contribution to the study of late Imperial Russia."" --Joseph T. Fuhrmann, author of Rasputin and the editor of The Complete Wartime Correspondence of Tsar Nicholas II and the Empress Alexandra