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Crowning Glories: The Romanov Treasures

More than $100 million worth of gorgeous sparkling royal gems, ecclesiastical items and exquisite costumes made for the Romanov czars, who ruled Russia from 1613 to 1917, have just gone on view under bulletproof glass at the Corcoran Gallery. Inevitably, there's also a whiff of revolution in the air.

This stickpin is set with a blue diamond the Russians believe comes from the Hope Diamond.

Surprisingly, "Jewels of the Romanovs: Treasures of the Russian Imperial Court" -- shown here for the first time in America -- is about far more than seemingly boundless, shameless wealth. It is also about superb craftsmanship, art as well as artifact, history as well as changing taste and fashion. And it reminds us of the richness of Russia's past, while also suggesting endless talent and possibilities for its future.

The eye as well as the mind is dazzled by the absolute power that brought these 250 objects into being. They have been lent by five Russian museums, most remarkably the State Diamond Fund of the Russian Republic, the limited-access museum beneath the Kremlin armory.

The exhibition was originally conceived to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Grand Duke Alexis's tour of the United States in 1871. Thus the show starts with documents and memorabilia from that visit, made at the invitation of President Ulysses S. Grant to thank Emperor Alexander II for sending naval squadrons to U.S. shores during the Civil War to discourage foreign intervention.

The show quickly grew to include splendid court costumes, richly embroidered in gold, and portraits that show the royals in their fancy duds and jewels. But it is the jewels, not the paintings, that bring the Romanovs to life.

An 1880 icon of "Our Lady of Iver."

There is also an exceptional group of 17th- and 18th-century ecclesiastical treasures from the State Historical & Architectural Preserve of Yaroslavl, once a famous center for metalwork. There are gleaming gold gospel covers, a remarkable gold-embroidered bishop's cloak, giant sapphires engraved with the figure of Christ, Byzantine-style icons depicting the Virgin, and icon covers, richly embroidered with gems and hundreds of tiny pearls, all mind-bending acts of religious veneration.

But it is the 115 examples of Romanov jewels that are most likely to mesmerize visitors, all lent for the first time in such numbers by the State Diamond Fund, established by Peter the Great in 1719 to separate the Romanov family wealth from that of the state.

An earring of diamonds and sapphires in the form of a cascade.

He and his descendants swelled its coffers with all kinds of adornment -- a 260-carat diamond, ruby earrings in the form of cascades, sapphire earrings inspired by the fountains at Peterhof Palace, and a Gothic-style bracelet featuring a miniature portrait of Alexander I covered by what looks like a shard of glass, but is really a 27-carat table-cut diamond. It is the largest of its kind in the world.

An 18th-century diadem and matching earrings feature flowers and feasting bees.

There can be little question about the beauty of one 18th-century diadem, made in Russia in 1760, shaped to suggest a garland of flowers beset by bees. Tiny diamond bees buzz over the blooms, attached by small springs so that they move as the wearer moves. The effect must have been dazzling, all the more so when accompanied by a pair of earrings, also shaped like bees.

The Romanovs' jewels were apparently dazzling even to other royal courts of Europe at the time, including the French, who represented the paragon of elegance and style. Though the Romanovs emulated the 18th-century French court, with their powdered wigs and gold-encrusted gowns, there were contemporary reports of French royals being aghast at the amount of jewelry worn by the Romanovs.

Some pieces that were sold during difficult times have since been reproduced by the skilled artist-craftsmen who still work for the Diamond Fund. The most remarkable example is the exquisite "Russian Field" diadem, on view at the end of this show, a reproduction of the original, which was sold off in 1927. It is made in the shape of laurel leaves and sheaves of wheat in diamonds and gold. One of the show's most spectacular pieces, it is, in fact, a reproduction of a diadem made in St. Petersburg for Empress Maria Feodorovna, who left it to the Diamond Fund in 1828.

The government of the Russian Federation backed this show through the newly formed Russian Organizing Committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Ignatenko. Financial support came from private and corporate donors through the Washington-based American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation, headed by James Symington.

The magnificently detailed court gown of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

The costumes are also spectacular, especially the gowns worn on state occasions made for Alexandra Feodorovna -- the last empress of all the Russias -- by the court's official couturiere. The Salon Dore -- that sumptuous, early 18th-century Parisian gilded room that was incongruously installed at the Corcoran -- here provides the perfect setting for these equally sumptuous Romanov gowns and uniforms, which bring the room to life.

The show actually ends with a contemporary entrepreneurial twist: A case is filled with modern jewelry, representing the continuation of this great traditional craft -- but none is for sale.

The catalogue won't be ready until after the show closes here in April, but it will be available for exhibitions in Houston, San Diego, Memphis and, organizers hope, two other American venues not yet confirmed. The show runs through April 13; tickets are $9 for adults and $5 for seniors and students.

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