(The following appeared in the Sun-Times of Canada in October 1994.)

Treasures of the Czars Will Sparkle in St. Petersburg, Fla.

By Bob Andelman

The Russians are coming!

The Russians are coming!

And they're bringing 250 rarely seen precious treasures of the 300-year reign of the Romanov dynasty. Priceless artifacts of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and Nicholas II are headed for limited exhibition at the new Florida International Museum in downtown St. Petersburg, Jan. 11 through June 11, 1995.

Virtually everything in the "Treasures of the Czars" collection will be shown in North America for the very first time. In fact, most items - direct from the Moscow Kremlin Museums - have rarely been seen in Russia itself and certainly not outside the Kremlin walls before.

"This is the largest and most prestigious collection to ever come to the United States," according to James E. Broughton, executive director of the Florida International Museum. (Newsweek called the exhibition "a major museum-world coup.")

The "Czars" collection features crown jewels, ceremonial, religious, historical and coronation pieces that provide a rare glimpse into a very different, very distant past from what most Americans have ever experienced. Those not intrigued by the history the collection represents may still find themselves awestruck by the sheer craftsmanship of pieces such as the Mitre of Archbishop Arsenii (circa 1740), gold textile with pearls, diamonds, rubies and enamel plaques.

Materials will divided into two segments: the first demonstrating the Eastern influence on Russia prior to Peter the Great, the second emphasizing the empire's Western influence after Peter. The Russian Orthodox Church will also be represented by golden chalices, ornamental crucifixes and vestments.

On display will be royal objects such as a throne, orb and scepter, grand tapestries, paintings, suits of armor, horse trappings, children's items - including a sleigh presented to Peter the Great - and Faberge pieces.

"Some of the gowns are among the finest I've ever seen in the world," Broughton says. "There are ecclesiastical crowns that are fantastic."

Among the more eclectic items to be displayed are, quite literally, the keys to the Kremlin, which Broughton noticed while on a scouting tour of the Russian museum. "I asked the curator what they were," Broughton recalls. "He said, 'Those are the keys to the Kremlin.' So we have arranged to have a few of those."

After all, you never know when another Cold War might break out.

"That's the intrigue of this exhibit," Broughton says, laughing. "These items are coming from inside the Kremlin walls. For decades, the Kremlin has been a mystery to us. Now we're getting a view from within the Kremlin walls."

Other highlights:

o Tricentennial "Easter Egg" of the Romanov Dynasty. A gift of Emperor Nicholas II to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, at Easter, 1913. A fabulous Faberge egg made of gold, silver, steel and diamonds, it features miniature watercolor portraits of all 18 Romanov czars and czarinas.

o The Crown of Monomach. Made of gold and studded with precious stones for Peter I to wear during the dual coronation with his older half-brother, Ivan V. The crown is trimmed in sable.

o Casket lid of Prince Dmitrii. Prince Dmitrii, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible and last potential heir to the Russian throne, was murdered at the age of 9. The casket itself disappeared in 1812 when the Kremlin was seized by Napoleon's troops, but the lid - made of gilded silver studded with rubies, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds and pearls - survived.

Throughout their reign, the Romanovs were great patrons of the arts, devoting huge sums to workshops, academies, orchestras and ballets, underwriting craftsmen, poets, painters, dancers, architects and teachers to pursue and expand Russian culture. The St. Petersburg exhibition hopes to give visitors a true taste of the Romanov era.

"The museum's galleries will be architecturally enhanced," Broughton says. "When you go into the gallery that houses the 17th century orthodox church, we hope you'll feel you're actually in the church."

Why is the exhibition debuting in St. Petersburg? The city, named by Russian aristocrat turned American entrepreneur Peter Demens, was named for Demens' beloved home in the Motherland. When the Russian city of Leningrad returned to its original name, St. Petersburg, after the fall of communism, its Florida namesake immediately moved to establish close ties. The "Treasures of the Czars" exhibition is a natural step in expanding the relationship.

"We aggressively sought it and made it happen," Broughton says. "We initiated this effort with the Kremlin Museum. The museum had already had an idea that they wanted to do something like this. St. Petersburg arranged for financing and a major building in downtown St. Petersburg (formerly a department store) to be converted."

Broughton, the former director of Wonders: The Memphis International Cultural Series who brought major exhibitions such as "Ramesses the Great," "Catherine the Great," "Splendors of the Ottoman Sultans," and "Napoleon" to Memphis, sees great similarities between that experience and bringing rare, world-class historical programs to St. Petersburg.

"People always said, 'Why Memphis?' " he says. "Now they're saying, 'Why St. Petersburg?' If you list the reasons why you shouldn't do this and can't do this, that list is long. It takes an aggressive posture to make something like this happen. In New York, they are used to this sort of thing. But this is magic coming to St. Petersburg."

The museum will be open daily, seven days a week, starting at 9 a.m., with the last entry at 8 p.m. However, museum officials advise visitors plan their trip to see the "Czars" as opposed to just dropping by. More than 500,000 people are expected to tour the Florida International Museum during the five-month exhibition. Many of them will be schoolchildren; Every weekday, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., the exhibition will be exclusively reserved for school tours. It won't open to the public until afternoons.

Tickets must be purchased for a specific day and entry time; tours will be conducted for up to 150 people at a time, starting every 15 minutes. Broughton says for most people, the "Czars" experience will last an average of 90 minutes to two hours.

Weekend reservations are expected to sell out quickly, as will dates around other special events in the Tampa Bay area such as baseball spring training (March), the SPIFFS International Folk Fair (March 16-19), Festival of States (March 31-April 8), and Tampa Bay Lightning NHL hockey matches at the ThunderDome. And the new $84-million Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa is scheduled to open March 31.

Broughton expects the only times that may be available without reservation will be late weekday afternoons and evenings.

For "Treasures of the Czars" reservations, call (800) 777-9882. Or write: Florida International Museum, 100 Second Street North, St. Petersburg, Fl. 33701. Ticket prices are: Adults, $12; Seniors, $10.75; Children, $5.

Area hotel information and reservations - package tours are available - can be arranged by calling the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, (800) 345-6710.

Sidebar
Tampa Bay Area Celebrates All Things Russian

During the course of the "Treasures of the Czars" exhibition at the Florida International Museum, several other area cultural institutions plan complementary Russian programs, plays and events. Among them:

Dance Theatre of Florida (Mahaffey Theatre at The Bayfront Center, 559 Mirror Lake Drive, St. Petersburg, 813-894-5168): "A Russian Evening in St. Petersburg" will offer performances of Russian ballet classics such as "Les Sylphide," Pas de Deux, "Polovtsian Dances," the Mazurka and Grand Waltz from "Eugene Oneign," excerpts from "Sleeping Beauty" and more (Jan. 21-22, 1995); The play, Romeo and Juliet, will be produced with musical score by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev (May 7, 14, 1995).

Florida Craftsman Gallery (237 Second Avenue S., St. Petersburg, 821-7391): "Russia, Russia: An Exhibition of Contemporary Ceramics and Enamel Art," featuring work done in the United States by Soviet ceramics artists at the time of the U.S.S.R. breakup, plus six Russian enamel artists who will also show their work. Jan. 12-April 29, 1995.

The Florida Orchestra (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa 800-860-1170): "From Russia with Love," light favorites from Russian composers, conducted by Skitch Henderson (Feb. 18-19, 1995); "Savor Scheherazade!", featuring works by Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, and Rimsky-Korsakov, conducted by Jahja Ling (March 11-12, 1995); "Tchaikovsky Forever," spotlighting works of the Russian composer as conducted by Russian conductor Vladimir Verbitsky (March 25-26, 1995).

Museum of Fine Arts (255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg 813-896-2667): "Three Centuries of Russian Painting from the State Trotyakov Gallery, Moscow" (Romanov era) and "Russian Treasures from A La Veille Russie" (jewelry, icons, silver, porcelain, and Faberge objets d'art). Jan. 12-June 11, 1995.

Ruth Eckerd Hall (1111 McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater, 813-791-7060): The Moscow-based men's choir "Chorovaya Akademia" will perform. The choir's repertoire includes both ecclesiastical and secular works from different historical periods. March 30, 1995

St. Petersburg Historical and Flight One Museum (335 2nd Avenue NE, St. Petersburg 813-894-1052): "Peter Demens: America's Peter the Great," an historical presentation of the Russian aristocrat and journalist once known as Pyotyr Dementyev who went on to become a legendary American entrepreneur, bringing the railroad and a Russian name - St. Petersburg - to a small Florida fishing hamlet. Tentative opening date: Jan. 12, 1995.

Salvador Dali Museum (1000 3rd Street S., St. Petersburg 813-823-3767): Dali's wife, Gala - who was born in Russia - will be featured in an exhibition of 90 photographs primarily taken by French photographer Robert Descharnes entitled "Galuchka: Dali's Russian Muse." The photos span her entire 98 years (1884-1982). "Galuchka," as Dali fondly referred to his wife, was the most significant person in the artist's life. Feb.-Sept. 1995.

20th Annual SPIFFS International Folk Fair (813-327-7999): The 1995 edition of the popular folk fair will feature an expanded contingent of Russian artisans an entire tent will be totally devoted to Russian artisans, demonstrating handicrafts and offering their work for sale. March 16-19, 1995, at the ThunderDome in downtown St. Petersburg.

Stage Works (David Falk Theater, 428 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 813-253-6243): Anton Chekov's comic drama Uncle Vanya will be performed. March 3-5, 9-12, 16-19, 1995.

Tampa Museum of Art (600 North Ashley Drive, Tampa 813-274-8130): "Contemporary Russian Photography" will feature traditional landscapes, still lifes and experimental works by Boris Savelev, Lyaiya Kuznetsova, Roman Pyatkov, Francisco Infante, Tanja Liebermann, Andrei Bezoukiadnikov, Yuri Tschernischov and Vadim Gippenreiter. Feb. 12-April 9, 1995.