A bullion star of the Order of St Alexander Nevsky, St Petersburg, early-19th century

The Sandars Collection of Imperial Russian Orders

The monumental collection 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 excitement 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 collection Russian Orders and Decorations at the time. His linguistic acuity facilitated his collecting as he was able not just to research in Russian, but also to liaise with international curators, collectors and dealers. Upon his death, Sandars’s collection comprised a staggering 650 pieces, of which notable pieces from the present collection formed part (lots 7, 73, 75, 76, 78, 80-82, 85 and 89).