#yusupov

Felix Yusupov posing for Valentin Serov, 1903

Images from the Tatler, July 15th, 1936 of the Russian Ball held at Claridge’s hotel by Grand Duchess Xenia to raise funds for her Summer camp for Russian children.

Felix and Irina's wedding took place on 9 February (old calender) 1914 in the private chapel of the Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg, the residence of the dowager empress. It was the last great royal wedding before the outbreak of World War I. Because Felix was not of royal blood, Irina had to sign an official document re-nouncing for herself and her descendants any claim to the throne; she was so far down the line of succession that this was a mere formality, but the wedding was one of the few officially sanctioned morganatic unions of Nicholas II's reign.

Before the wedding, the tsar approached Felix and asked what he would like as a wedding gift; Nicholas II himself con-sidered offering Felix an official position at court. But Felix in-formed the tsar that the gift he would most appreciate would be unlimited use of the imperial box at the Mariinsky Theatre. With a laugh, the tsar granted this request. But he and his wife also presented the couple with a bag of twenty-nine uncut diamonds, ranging from three to seven carats each.

"Yet another opportunity we had to see the court and the whole family of the Tsar on the closest terms was when the Empress Dowager celebrated Prince Youssoupoff's wedding, in Anitschkoff palace, to her granddaughter Irene, the daughter of Grand Duchess Xenia and Prince Alexander. This time they again in- vited the English ambassadorial couple and us. The wedding took place in a hall, which wasn't much bigger than a normal large living room. Along one wall stood the Tsar with the Empress and the four Grand Duchesses, of whom the two youngest were not yet adults and had some difficulty in being serious. Right opposite Prince and Princess Youssoupoff stood with some of the newly married couple's friends and the English pair, and us, and between us the altar was set up. As always at a large orthodox wedding there were six bridesmaids and pages, who were charged to hold the bridal crowns over the newly married couple. I have never seen a more beautiful newly married couple than they, really like a fairytale, and the six bridesmaids and pages, among whom was Dimitri Paulovitch, all in full-dress uniform, fitted the picture. I remember the youngest of the Tsar's daughters, Anastasia, about whom later there developed the myth that she had es- caped from the murder in Yekaterinburg. In the middle of the wedding the bride dropped her handkerchief, and Anastasia jumped up quickly, picked it up and gave it to her. Strange to think that the two main characters at the wedding,  Youssoupoff and Dmitri Paulovitch, both were to become active participants in the murder of Rasputin. After the wedding the newly married couple accepted congratulations, and we had the opportunity to greet the Empress Dowager, who stood beside them. Each of the guests was presented with a small light blue silk purse with the newly mar- ried couple's initials stamped in silver, with a bouquet of artificial orange flowers affixed, containing French almonds. I have kept it in spite of all the vicissitudes". 

Portrait of Iusupov by Johannes Linse (1875-1930) 

Prince Felix Feliksovich Iusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston (1887-1967), notoriously famous for his leading role in the assassination of Grigorii Rasputin in 1916, was one of the most fascinating and glamorous personalities of the late Imperial Russia.

Born into the most aristocratic and wealthy family of Russia, his personality was charming and sophisticated but tempered by arrogance and hedonism. Known as a "golden boy," Felix threw himself headlong into the glamorous life of St. Petersburg, indulging in every pleasure and pastime. He was equally comfortable at grand court receptions or at fashionable restaurants, bohemian clubs or popular nightspots.

He lived a sheltered life of privilege and became an heir to the family fortune in 1908 after his older brother was killed in a duel. As a result of the tragic death of his brother and his close friendship with Grand Duchess Elizaveta, sister of Empress Alexandra, Felix underwent a conversion of sorts, and channeled his abundant energy into various charitable projects.

He spent three years in Oxford, England polishing his education and a year later became engaged to Grand Duchess Irina (1895-1970), niece of the Emperor Nicholas II and granddaughter of the dowager Empress Maria. The wedding took place on February 9, 1914 in Anichkov Palace and became the most talked about event of the season. The long list of jewelry presented to the young bride was a subject of St. Petersburg drawing room conversations for many months. But the carefree life that Felix was used to was coming to an end.

By 1916 he was deeply involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Grigorii Rasputin, the Siberian monk who gained enormous influence over the imperial couple. Felix Iusupov became a key conspirator and participant in the assassination that took place in his private quarters at the family's grand Palace on the Moika River on December 17, 1916. Outraged Emperor Nicholas II forced Felix into exile to one of his family estates in the Kurk province, where he stayed until the news of the Tsar's abdication and chaos of revolution forced him to seek shelter in the remote Crimea.

Iusupov's family eventually left Russia in April 1919 aboard a British war ship that took them to safety along with a few members of the Russian Imperial family. All that he was able to rescue from his enormous family fortune were two portraits by Rembrandt and a fabled collection of jewels that belonged to his mother, Zinaida Iusupov.

They lived in England at first, and settled in Paris later. The two masterpieces by Rembrandt were sold to an American collector, who eventually donated them to the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. The Historic jewels were sold to Cartier to finance the lavish lifestyle the Iusupovs struggled to maintain. Royalties from two books of memoirs written by Felix, and the sale of some property allowed Felix to give generously to many émigré causes and support to a number of charities. The biggest asset was a settlement that Felix and Irina won against the MGM studio, in connection with the movie, 'Rasputin the Mad Monk'.

Felix and Irina moved in a dazzling circle of friends, including the Philippe de Rothschilds; Count and Countess von Bismarck; J. Paul Getty; Sir Oswald and Lady Mosley; the Duke and Duchess of Windsor; Gertrude Laurence, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Even in exile Felix remained a symbol of sophistication, a well-mannered, impeccably dressed, handsome prince who captivated those who knew him. He was active with various charitable courses, and organized a number of balls to benefit struggling Russian émigrés and Russian cultural institutions.

The current portrait was most likely painted during F. Iusupov's exile period in Paris. It is possible that it was painted in connection with one of the Russian costume balls that Felix helped to organize; the most famous of all being the ball at Albert Hall in London in 1920. Participants arrived dressed in the traditional costumes similar to the famous Costume Ball given at the Russian Court in February 1903, where guests were dressed in costumes from the times of Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich.