Romanov Heirlooms. The Lost Inheritance of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna

Sotheby's. London. 20 November 2009. Paperback, quarto; illustrated wrappers. 108 pages. 110 lots illustrated in colour. English & Russian. 270 x 210mm. 0.6kg. . Fine.

The auction for a remarkable treasure trove of objects belonging to the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia. In 1918, during the chaos of the Russian Revolution, the Duchess instructed a Professor Bergholz to deposit two filled, striped-linen pillowcases with the Swedish Legation in Petrograd. The pillowcases remained with the Swedes until rediscovered in 2009 at the Swedish Foreign Office in Stockholm. The contents of these cases are the items for sale in this auction catalogue - a important collection of cigarette cases and cufflinks, many made by Faberge and master jewellers from St. Petersburg and Paris.