Viktor Vekselberg, the owner of the Fabergé Museum, acquired the archive for the museum through his fund Svyaz Vremen. The collection is on show at the museum until March 29, after which it will be transferred to the State Archive of the Russian Federation.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
An exhibition of unique items from the personal archive of Prince Felix Yusupov, a member of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families of imperial Russia, has opened in St. Petersburg at the Fabergé Museum.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
The Yusupov dynasty was considered no less noble than that of the Romanovs, and definitely richer. The dynasty was established in 1563.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
Prince Felix Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston (1887-1967) was the most prominent of the Yusupovs, yet his renown came neither from his martial achievements nor his governmental career.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
He was born very weak. His mother wanted a daughter and till the age of 5 she dressed her son in girlish clothes. Sometimes young Felix looked out of the window and exclaimed to passers-by: "Look how beautiful I am!"
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
In 1909-1910 Felix studied in Oxford, where he lived the high life, gallivanting with the likes of Diaghilev and Karsavina and other members of the touring company of the Russian Seasons ballet.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
In the early 20th century he was an idol for the gilded youth of St. Petersburg, and often compared to Dorian Gray. In 1914 he married Grand Duchess Irina, the niece of Tsar Nicholas II.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
The two families intermarried three years before the end of the Romanov dynasty. In December 1916 Felix organized a plot that culminated in the murder of Grigory Rasputin in his family mansion on Moika Street in St. Petersburg.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
The conspirators supposed that they were saving the Russian empire, but in fact the murder of Rasputin accelerated the Revolution and the end of the Imperial dynasty.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
The Yusupovs left Russia in 1919, soon after the October Revolution, on board the British ship HMS Marlborough, which was on duty in the Black Sea. On the orders of King George V, the vessel rescued his aunt, Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna, and other members of the Russian Imperial family, including the Yusupovs.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
As émigrés the Yusupovs learnt how to earn a living. Felix worked as a painter, and wrote and published memoirs. His wife Irina set up a tailor shop and a boutique in Paris.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
Their exile lasted for decades. Only their grand-daughter Ksenia, who was born in France in 1942, got a chance to return. In 1991 she entered the house of the family mansion in St. Petersburg for the first time.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
The archive (the personal belongings and photo collection of Prince Felix Yusupov, his wife, and other members of the imperial family) was found in the apartments once inhabited by Yusupov in Paris. It was handed over to the Olivier Coutau-Begarie auction house in November, 2014.
Courtesy of Fabergé Museum
These photographs show the family’s lifestyle in the period 1890-1930. The household, clothes, interiors and leisure activities on display tell the story of the first wave of Russian emigration.
Courtesy of Fabergé MuseumViktor Vekselberg, the owner of the Fabergé Museum, acquired the archive for the museum through his fund Svyaz Vremen. The collection is on show at the museum until March 29, after which it will be transferred to the State Archive of the Russian Federation.
Courtesy of Fabergé MuseumAll rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Subscribe
to our newsletter!
Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox
