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Auction archive: Lot number 92

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich: Group of Letters Related to His Diplomatic Mission to Japan, 1915-1916

Estimate
US$1,500 - US$2,500
Price realised:
US$1,375
Auction archive: Lot number 92

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich: Group of Letters Related to His Diplomatic Mission to Japan, 1915-1916

Estimate
US$1,500 - US$2,500
Price realised:
US$1,375
Beschreibung:

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich: Group of Letters Related to His Diplomatic Mission to Japan, 1915-1916 Comprising 26 letters addressed to his daughter, Princess Nina Georgievna, including: a letter dated December 18, 1915 which describes his journey by train across Siberia; a letter dated December 26, 1915 which describes his voyage across the Sea of Japan and visit to Korea; a letter dated December 30, 1915 which describes his arrival in Tokyo and his meeting with Emperor Taisho; two letters dated August 29, 1916 and October 16, 1916, which describe the visit of the Japanese delegation to Petrograd and to the Stavka in Mogilev; and a letter dated September 30, 1916, which describes a photograph album documenting the Grand Duke's visit to Japan which he sent to his wife and daughters in England. Provenance: Princess Nina Georgievna Chavchavadze (1901-1974). Prince David Pavlovich Chavchavadze (1924-2014). By descent to the present owner. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, who had a limited military career due to injury, entered the army in World War I as a lieutenant general. By 1915, he was appointed aide-de-camp to the commander in chief, and Emperor Nicholas II appointed him supervisor of operations, in which capacity he reported to the emperor on the situation at the front. In December 1915, Nicholas II sent Grand Duke George on an important diplomatic mission to Japan. From the beginning of the year, the Japanese had openly expressed a desire for an alliance with Russia, as both nations were fighting against Germany and the Central Powers. Japanese Field Marshal and former Prime Minister, Yamagata Aritomo, was a major advocate of the alliance. After his proposal was rebuffed by Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu's cabinet, Yamagata enlisted the support of Emperor Taisho to encourage a visit to Tokyo by a member of the Russian Imperial Family. Major General Nakajima Masatake, an observer to the general headquarters of the Russian army, was tasked with approaching the emperor's surgeon, Sergei Fedorov. Masatake remarked to Fedorov that should the emperor send the grand duke to Japan, the Japanese would be duly impressed and would intensify their efforts to help Russia in the battle with Germany. Nicholas II immediately dispatched Grand Duke George to Japan ostensibly to congratulate Emperor Taisho on his formal enthronement ceremonies in November 1915. Prior to arriving in Japan, Grand Duke George visited Korea and returned to Russia at the beginning of 1916 by way of Vladivostok, inspecting the situation in the Far East on the way. In July 1916, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov and Japanese Ambassador Motono Ichiro signed a treaty in Petrograd which created a military and political alliance. The five-year alliance was to remain secret until the Bolsheviks seized power one year later and declared an end to secret treaties. The present lot, part of the personal collection of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and never before seen in public, includes an extensive group of photographs which document the Grand Duke's 1915 diplomatic visit to Japan. For further information on the Russo-Japanese alliance, please see V. Molodiakov, "The Secret Alliance with Japan Shattered by the Russian Revolution." Nippon.com, November 6, 2017, https://www.nippon.com/en/column/g00377/?pnum=1. A group of photograph albums chronicling the Grand Duke's mission to Japan (referenced in a letter in the present lot, dated September 30, 1916) was sold in these rooms January 31, 2018, . C Property from the Descendants of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia

Auction archive: Lot number 92
Auction:
Datum:
30 Oct 2019
Auction house:
Doyle New York - Auctioneers & Appraisers
East 87th Street 75
New York, NY 10128
United States
info@doyle.com
+1 (0)212 4272730
Beschreibung:

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich: Group of Letters Related to His Diplomatic Mission to Japan, 1915-1916 Comprising 26 letters addressed to his daughter, Princess Nina Georgievna, including: a letter dated December 18, 1915 which describes his journey by train across Siberia; a letter dated December 26, 1915 which describes his voyage across the Sea of Japan and visit to Korea; a letter dated December 30, 1915 which describes his arrival in Tokyo and his meeting with Emperor Taisho; two letters dated August 29, 1916 and October 16, 1916, which describe the visit of the Japanese delegation to Petrograd and to the Stavka in Mogilev; and a letter dated September 30, 1916, which describes a photograph album documenting the Grand Duke's visit to Japan which he sent to his wife and daughters in England. Provenance: Princess Nina Georgievna Chavchavadze (1901-1974). Prince David Pavlovich Chavchavadze (1924-2014). By descent to the present owner. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, who had a limited military career due to injury, entered the army in World War I as a lieutenant general. By 1915, he was appointed aide-de-camp to the commander in chief, and Emperor Nicholas II appointed him supervisor of operations, in which capacity he reported to the emperor on the situation at the front. In December 1915, Nicholas II sent Grand Duke George on an important diplomatic mission to Japan. From the beginning of the year, the Japanese had openly expressed a desire for an alliance with Russia, as both nations were fighting against Germany and the Central Powers. Japanese Field Marshal and former Prime Minister, Yamagata Aritomo, was a major advocate of the alliance. After his proposal was rebuffed by Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu's cabinet, Yamagata enlisted the support of Emperor Taisho to encourage a visit to Tokyo by a member of the Russian Imperial Family. Major General Nakajima Masatake, an observer to the general headquarters of the Russian army, was tasked with approaching the emperor's surgeon, Sergei Fedorov. Masatake remarked to Fedorov that should the emperor send the grand duke to Japan, the Japanese would be duly impressed and would intensify their efforts to help Russia in the battle with Germany. Nicholas II immediately dispatched Grand Duke George to Japan ostensibly to congratulate Emperor Taisho on his formal enthronement ceremonies in November 1915. Prior to arriving in Japan, Grand Duke George visited Korea and returned to Russia at the beginning of 1916 by way of Vladivostok, inspecting the situation in the Far East on the way. In July 1916, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov and Japanese Ambassador Motono Ichiro signed a treaty in Petrograd which created a military and political alliance. The five-year alliance was to remain secret until the Bolsheviks seized power one year later and declared an end to secret treaties. The present lot, part of the personal collection of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and never before seen in public, includes an extensive group of photographs which document the Grand Duke's 1915 diplomatic visit to Japan. For further information on the Russo-Japanese alliance, please see V. Molodiakov, "The Secret Alliance with Japan Shattered by the Russian Revolution." Nippon.com, November 6, 2017, https://www.nippon.com/en/column/g00377/?pnum=1. A group of photograph albums chronicling the Grand Duke's mission to Japan (referenced in a letter in the present lot, dated September 30, 1916) was sold in these rooms January 31, 2018, . C Property from the Descendants of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia

Auction archive: Lot number 92
Auction:
Datum:
30 Oct 2019
Auction house:
Doyle New York - Auctioneers & Appraisers
East 87th Street 75
New York, NY 10128
United States
info@doyle.com
+1 (0)212 4272730
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