Vestments for clergy serving at coronation ceremonies are one of the most dazzling elements of the celebration. These pieces are designed to shine with extraordinary brilliance, and to be seen by the entire world. The vestments at the coronation ceremonies of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna in 1896 were a stunning example of this luminosity.
Join the Russian History Museum for a lecture by Dr. Karen Kettering on the historical meanings of their design, international press coverage of the ceremonies, and the work of the firm of A. & V. Sapozhnikov, the makers of the cloth used for the gowns, uniforms, banners, and hangings seen throughout the three weeks of festivities. The lecture will conclude by tracing the fate of these and other vestments after 1917.
When:
Saturday, August 8, 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM EST
Cost:
FREE
Where:
Online via Zoom ‒ Register now.
This lecture will be recorded.
Contact Information:
hphillips@russianhistorymuseum.org
Hannah Phillips, Russian History Museum Public Engagement Coordinator
About the Lecturer:
Karen Kettering received her doctorate in art history from Northwestern University. Her dissertation was a study of sculptor Natalia Dan’ko’s career in the late Imperial and Soviet periods. She has held positions as curator of Russian Art at Hillwood Museum & Gardens and Senior Specialist in the Department of Russian Art at Sotheby’s. The author of studies on Russian and European decorative arts, design, icons, and paintings, her research has focused most recently on the creation of a market for Russian art in America and the history of Russian portrait diamonds. She is a co-curator of the exhibition "Tradition & Opulence: Easter in Imperial Russia," which is currently on view at the Museum of Russian Icons [and includes a number of examples from the Russian History Museum’s collection, including some ecclesiastical cuffs!] She currently heads an art advisory and appraisal firm.