The Belle Époque life in Paris : Olga Paley and Paul of Russia / Wilfried Zeisler ; ... with a new chapter on Princess Natalie Paley by Megan J. Martinelli.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zeisler, Wilfried, author.

Contributor:

Martinelli, Megan J., writer of supplementary text.

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Paleĭ, kni︠a︡gini︠a︡, 1865-.

Paleĭ.

Pavel Aleksandrovich, Grand Duke of Russia, 1860-1919.

Pavel Aleksandrovich.

Art--Collectors and collecting--France--Paris.

Art.

Paris (France)--Social life and customs--20th centrury.

Paris (France).

Physical Description:

349 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition in English.

Place of Publication:

Le Kremlin-Bicet̂re : Mare & Martin ; Washington, D.C. : Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, [2025]

Summary:

"Based on previously unpublished documents, this book traces the life in Paris of Countess Olga von Hohenfelsen, later known as Princess Paley, the morganatic wife of Grand Duke Paul of Russia, uncle of the last emperor Nicholas II. While immersing the reader in the world of Marcel Proust (most of Princess Paley's social contacts had fed the writer's imagination), the book explores the couple's day-to-day life, highlighting their relationships with leading suppliers such as couturiers Worth and Paquin and the jeweler Cartier. It also provides an overview of the Parisian art market, and studies the development of the couple's successive residences from Paris to St. Petersburg. For a time in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, the significant collection and the palace built to house it were shown to the public as the Museum of French Art and History. Dispersed during the 1920s by the Soviet authorities, the collection is studied as a whole here for the first time. Published first in French in 2018, this updated English version includes an additional chapter on the couple's youngest child, Princess Natalie Paley, as many works of art and archival documents from the family are now preserved at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens. Natalie Paley continued her family's legacy of contributing to culture and the arts well into the twentieth century while living in Paris and the United States, where she influenced writers, designers, photographers, and artists" --Back cover.

Contents:

Foreword

Introduction

A Couple Ahead of Their Time?

Settling in Paris

A New Address: The Yusupov Mansion at the Parc des Princes

At the Heart of the Paris Art Market: Dealers and Clients, Artists and Patrons

The Mansion and the Collection in 1911

High Society in Boulogne: A Mix of Daily Life and Ceremony

From One Place to Another: Receiving, Appearing, and Being Seen

Rue de la Paix Summed Up in Objects: Countess von Hohenfelsen's Wardrobe and Jewelry Box

Return to Grace

The Paley Palace at Tsarskoye Selo: A Parisian Palace in the Heart of Russia

Epilogue

From Exile to Avant-Garde: The Life of Princess Natalie Paley.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-334) and index.

ISBN:

9782362221231

2362221237

9781917273060

1917273061

OCLC:

1521146278