In the Russian Style (A Studio Book)

In the Russia of the 18th and 19th centuries, court life seesawed between the extremes of unbridled extravagance and sober-sided restraint, as nine very different rulers impressed their disparate "management styles" on history. Yet, whether we are discussing the largess of Catherine the Great or the parsimony of Alexander III, there is no question the Russian royal family lived large, reveling in a wealth and splendor as vast, spectacular, and unreserved as the country itself.
One of Jacqueline Onassis's first editorial undertakings, this elegant volume was originally published in 1976 with the cooperation of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Capturing the spirit of Imperial Russia, it is filled with illustrations depicting palaces, furnishings, jewels, objets d'art, clothing, and artwork -- expertly captioned and accompanied by quotations from a diversity of sources, including Tolstoy, Queen Victoria, Pushkin, Diderot, Gogol, and Napoleon. Audrey Kennett's introduction provides lively commentary on a long-gone age of benevolent despots and cruel tyrants; and a selection of beautifully restored costumes, specially photographed in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, appears in a section of glorious full-color plates. 8 1/2" x 11". Black-and-white and some color illustrations.