A rare and magnificent coronation album of Tsar Alexander II, Imperial Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 1856

Entitled in Cyrillic Opisanie svyaschenneishago koronovaniya Ikh Imperatorskikh Velichestv gosudarya imperatora Alexandra Vtorogo i gosudaryni imperatritsy Marii Alexandrovny vseya Rossii [Description of the most sacred Coronation of Thier Imperial Majesties The Sovereign Emperor Alexander II and the Empress Maria Alexandrovna of All Russia]

170p, text printed in brown on thick paper, lithographed title printed in red and gilt, 18 full-page chromolithographs by various engravers after Zichy, Timm and others, 32 lithographed illustrations, two of these in colour; original green morocco, the cover gilt with a large block of the Imperial regalia, gilt edges  

Like all Russian coronations, that of Emperor Alexander II was a great spectacle intended to convey both the profound significance of the event and the glory of the Empire. The ceremony took place on 26 August 1856, some 18 months after his ascension to the throne on the death of his father Nicholas I, the delay a result of the Crimean War. This first edition of the Imperial coronation album, of which the present lot is a rare example, was privately issued at the time of the coronation to guests and participants and represents one of the most ambitious imprints of the 19^th century.  

The ceremony unfolds visually through a series of coloured lithographs and engravings: the procession from the Petrovsky Palace to the Kremlin; the Emperor's veneration of the Iverskaya Mother of God icon at the Gates of the Red Square; his seclusion at Ostankino where he prepared himself spiritually for the coming occasion by taking communion; the proclamation of the forthcoming coronation by heralds on Red Square; the procession of the Tsar and Tsaritsa down the Red Staircase to the Dormition Cathedral; the crowning; the placing of the crown on the head of his Consort; the kiss given by the Empress to the Emperor; the Emperor's recitation of the Creed; his Anointing whereby he receives the gift of the spirit of his high ministry; the taking of Communion within the Sanctuary emphasising his own status as a priest; and the ritual three bows of the Tsar and Tsaritsa to their subjects from the top of the Red Staircase. This is followed by illustrations of lavish receptions, banquets, gala performances, hunts and fireworks.