White emigration archives are particularly prized by collectors and other institutions, which is why we are always delighted to discover them through our inventories and during our appraisal days. The most important of these is the archive of Andrei Balachov and the Russian Brotherhood of Truth, which we discovered two years ago.

We have already devoted four sales to these archives and are currently preparing two more, one for the summer and another for the autumn...

We know that there are many more to be discovered, and we look forward to receiving them from you.

The history of the Tsars

At the end of the 15th century, Tsar Ivan III definitively freed Russia from the Mongol yoke. Tsar Ivan IV The Terrible (1533-1584) was the first tsar to actually reside in Moscow, which he made his capital by eliminating his rivals, the princes and the Boyars.

In 1613, Michael Romanov founded the Romanov dynasty, which reigned until the October Revolution. His grandson Peter the Great (1689-1725) succeeded him and expanded the territory. Catherine the Great (1762-1796) continued to open up to Europe, taking Crimea, part of Ukraine and eastern Poland. Then came Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) and Tsar Alexander I (1801-1825), infamous for defeating Napoleon's Grande Armée.

Tsar Alexander II (1855-1881) continued to expand his territory in Asia and encouraged the development of trade and industry (e.g. the Trans-Siberian Railway linking Moscow to Vladivostok). Tsar Alexander III followed in his footsteps until 1894 and drew closer to France.

After Russia's defeat at the hands of Japan (Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905), Tsar Nicholas II (1894-1917) accepted the establishment of the Duma (the Russian parliament).

With such a dense imperial history spanning several centuries, all evidence of this glorious past is highly sought-after by collectors and Russian history buffs.

Our auctions regularly include photos of the imperial family, letters, objects and other historical memorabilia.