#spala

Maria’s costume for the play Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. On the left, from the Hermitage; on the right, Maria and Anastasia, Spala, 1912.

Olga Nikolaevna, Anastasia Nikolaevna, Tatiana Nikolaevna and Maria Nikolaevna in Spala, October 1912

The collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums contains an album of watercolors by the artist Mikhail Alexandrovich Zichi, dedicated to the hunting season of 1897 of Emperor Nicholas II in the lands of Belovezhskaya Pushcha and Spala. The album contains 25 sheets and each contains from one to three drawings, with scenes of events that took place on one day or another. In the drawings of the court painter M.A. Zichi, who accompanied the imperial family on this trip, presents scenes not only of the hunts themselves, but also evening entertainment in the dining room and billiard room of the palace, Sunday services in a small Belovezhskaya Church, meetings of the imperial couple with peasants and, of course, the majestic nature of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Each of the scenes, thanks to the artist's skill, has its own mood and emotional coloring. The main characters are easily recognized in the watercolors: Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the emperor's uncles – Grand Dukes Mikhail Nikolaevich, Vladimir Alexandrovich and Nikolai Nikolaevich, members of the highest retinue and guests. On each sheet, a text is given within the framework indicating the date, the place where the hunt took place, as well as the number of game killed. You can see another album pertaining to the year 1892 here. © Moscow Kremlin Museums

The Romanovs with Prince Henry of Prussia, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, Princess Irene of Prussia, Alexandra Alexandrovna Olenina, and Princess Sonia Orbeliani. Spala, 14th October 1901

Romanov Parallels Spala 1900/1912

Photos from: Tsar Nicholas II 1900 Spala Album

Kaja Kowalewska