The Sandars collects ion of Imperial Russian Orders

The monumental collects ion of Orders and Decorations of Paul Sandars Sr was inspired by a gift from his son of a 4^th class Badge of St Stanislaus Badge, that he acquired on a visit to Paris. Sandars, who had grown up and trained as a musician in Moscow, had relocated to Germany, then Paris, and finally New York following the occupation of France in 1943, where he entered the world of perfumery. His son’s gift of the St Stanislaus Badge provoked such excit.mes nt in Sandars that he began researching the history of the Russian Order. His studies evoked feelings of nostalgia for his homeland and prompted him to amass the largest private collects ion Russian Orders and Decorations at the t.mes . His linguistic acuity facilitated his collects ing as he was able not just to research in Russian, but also to liaise with international curators, collects ors and dealers. Upon his death, Sandars’s collects ion comprised a staggering 650 pieces, of which notable pieces from the present collects ion formed part (lots 7, 73, 75, 76, 78, 80-82, 85 and 89).

The Order of St Catherine

The Order of St Catherine came in two classes and was established in 1713 by Peter the Great to commemorate the heroic deeds of his consort, the future Empress Catherine I. The highest class of the order was that of the present lot, the Dame Grand Cross, which entitled the recipient to both the Sash badge and the Star. Whereas the Dame lesser cross only entitled the recipient to the badge.

All female members of the Russian Imperial family were awarded the Grand Cross of the Order, as were members of foreign Royal families. The statutes of the order dictated that only twelve Dames Grand Cross could be awarded. It is extremely rare to find such a complete diamond-set Grand Cross set of the insignia.

The bestowal of Orders was dependent on the rank of the recipient. The Imperial Order of St Catherine the Great Martyr ranked second in the hierarchy of the eight Orders of the t.mes , after the Order of Saint Andrew the First Called. Along with the Order of St George, the Order St Catherine was independent from the correlation between awards and civil ranks. Other than the Order of St Olga which was only awarded between 1916 and 1917, the Order of St Catherine is the only Imperial Russian Order for women. Though the decoration of the Order of St Catherine was originally intended exclusively for Catherine I, it soon became a prestigious award reserved for a limited number of royal and aristocratic women. Established in 1713, the Order commemorated the Empress’s heroism in the Russo-Turkish Campaign battle by the River Pruth in Moldovia, 1711, after she sold her jewellery and possessions to pay the Turkish army for the release of captured Cossacks. As Catherine I was not yet married to Peter I at the this point in t.mes , the Order was bequeathed upon the Empress on her name day, 24 November 1714 (after their official wedding on 19 February 1712), and she was made Grand Mistress of the Order.

The Order was divided into two categories, those of the Grand and Smaller Cross. Every female member of the royal family, a few foreign imperial and royal family members, and a very small handful of aristocratic women were granted the Grand Cross upon different milestones depending on their station. The Smaller Cross was usually bestowed upon other aristocratic ladies and the wives of prominent foreigners. A charitable donation of 400 roubles for the Grand Cross and 250 roubles for the Smaller Cross was demanded upon initiation into the Order. Women were elected to the Order, as opposed to those who were awarded the Order by their birth right, to honour their philanthropic deeds outside of the Court.

Though the Order was primarily ceremonial, it was also involved with substantial charitable work such as to hospitals, the churches of St Catherine, orphanages, the School of St Catherine for Young Girls of the Nobility, and funding of conversion for non-Orthodox individuals. Ladies of the Order were also required to swear an oath to the sovereign, include thanks and well wishes for the health of the sovereign and success in military ventures in their prayers.

Insignia and Cost.mes

The Sash Badge of the Grand Cross is a Breast Star shaped as a cross-moline with four arms pierced and set with seven rows of cushion diamonds. It features an enamelled central medallion bordered by similar stones, an inner bezel set with rose diamonds and an illustration of the seated St Catherine supporting a white cross with a small diamond cross superimposed upon it. She also holds a palm branch, the symbol of martyrdom. St Catherine’s halo bears the letters C E B, which stands for Saint Catherine the Great Martyr. The letters D S F R, for Domine salvum fac regem (‘God Save the Tsar’), are inscribed between the cross’s arms. The medallion on the badge’s verso features an eagle’s nest atop two towers which in which four eaglets clasp two snakes in their beaks. In the suspension pavé set with five large cushions and encircled by rose diamonds lies an inscription which references the Empress’s aforementioned bravery in battle. It reads ‘AQVAT MVNIA COMPARIS’ (‘By her works she equals her spouse’). The Breast Star, which is unmarked, features eight Silver rayed points, pavé set with cushion diamonds and a surmounted Imperial Crown at the centre set with rose diamonds. Its red enamel medallion bears the Russian inscription ‘FOR LOVE AND FATHERLAND’ in rose diamonds upon a translucent red enamel and gold round.

An embroidered and sequined bow accompanies the cross, upon which the motto of the order is stitched in Cyrillic, reading ЗА ЛЮБОВЬ И ОТЕУЕСТВО (‘For Love and Fatherland). Both ladies of the Grand and Smaller Crosses wore the badge attached to this bow, though ladies of the Grand Cross only also wore a sash over the right shoulder.

The Breast Star and Sash Badge accompanied a ceremonial cost.mes : a dress made of silver brocade and decorated with gold embroidery, tassels, ornamental lace and a train of green velvet, whose length was determined by the status of the wearer. A green velvet hat completed the outfit, decorated on its upturned brim with a half-wheel ornament whose degree of luxuriousness also depended on the wearer’s status. The Empress wore an additional garment, an ermine-trimmed mantle of green velvet.