Russian royal treasures on rare show ()

Take a step back in time to the royal court of Russia in the 18th Century when you visit the Museum of History’s newest exhibition. Visitors can get up close and personal with more than 200 items on loan from the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Preserve of Russia, which include paintings, costumes, porcelain and weapons that were used by well-known historical figures such as Russian Empress Catherine the Great and French Emperor Napoleon. Regal ride One of the highlights of the exhibition is the four-seater carriage and harnesses made especially for the 1856 coronation of Russian Emperor Alexander II in Moscow. This will be the first time the complete set of six harnesses and the carriage have been seen in public for 100 years. The Romanov dynasty celebrated 300 years on the throne in 1914 and were the last ones to ride in it. A close look at the roof corners reveals heraldic double-headed eagles. Curator Irina Bredikhina explained that the eagles were symbols on the royal coat of arms and were crafted in such a way that people could see them from any angle as the carriage drove past. They are also featured on the harnesses. Weighing a mighty six tonnes, Ms Bredikhina said the coronation carriage had never been dismantled for fear of breaking it, so it was placed on a tailor-made platform and transported in one piece from Russia in a cargo plane. A crane was used to gently place it into the Museum of History. The carriage still works, although the curators advised against attaching horses to it and going for a ride. Handle with care A beautiful Chinese lacquer vase China’s last emperor Puyi presented to Russia’s last emperor Nicholas II in 1909 was one of the first pieces selected for the exhibit. “Because our museum is first of all a former imperial residence and this was the last gift from the last Chinese emperor to last Russian emperor, for our exhibition this vase became symbolic,” said Head of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Preserve of Russia Exhibitions Department, Liudmila Kanaeva. It dates back to the era of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) and was made using a technique from the Ming dynasty. The priceless vase comes in four parts, which Ms Kanaeva said made it much easier to transport. Portable security Much less hassle to transport, but of equal historical value is a travelling weapon set that was presented to Russia’s Emperor Alexander I by none other than French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807. The head of Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Preserve of Russia’s Military History Department Georgy Vvedensky said the set was a gift from Napoleon after the two warring sides agreed to make peace. Noted French gunsmith Nicolas-Noel Boutet made the portable weaponry during the height of his craftsmanship. Napoleon was so impressed by Boutet’s work that he hired him as his personal gunsmith. Royal robes Most people have heard of Catherine the Great – the longest-ruling female leader of Russia, whose reign was referred to as the “Golden Age” - but not many people have seen the clothes she wore. Visitors to the Museum of History can take a look at Empress Catherine II’s military uniform dress. It is one of only 10 known uniform dresses that belonged to her – four are under the care of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Preserve of Russia, another four are in Saint Petersburg museums, and two are believed to be in private collections around the world. Museum of History Director Susanna Siu said it took about three years and around $17 million to organise the exhibition. Tsarskoye Selo was a former royal residence turned into a museum, and Ms Siu hopes that by seeing its exhibits, visitors will gain a greater insight into the splendour of Russian court life and into the broader political and cultural developments in Russia’s history Tsarskoye Selo has borne witness to. The Treasures from Tsarskoye Selo, Residence of the Russian Monarchs Exhibition runs at the Museum of History from October 29 to March 16. ()