An important 1896 Nicholas II Coronation vestment
Sapozhnikov and Company, Moscow, 1896
This important coronation vestment, known in the Russian Orthodox Church as a 'felon' or phelonion, was one of 30 vestments worn by bishops officiating at the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II in 1896; woven by the Moscow textile manufacturer Sapozhnikov and Company specifically for the momentous occasion, the gold brocade phelonion is richly embroidered in an intricate foliate pattern featuring the Imperial double-headed eagle; the yoke is embroidered with a large cross-surmounted crown over a stylized sunburst, while two smaller medallions, one in the shape of a cross and another of an octagon, decorate the back
length: 142cm (55 7/8in).

Footnotes:

Provenance
Kremlin churches, 1896
Acquired by a private Italian collector in Moscow prior to 1940s
Private collection, Italy

On 4 May 1895, the Minister of the Imperial Court presented Nicholas II with preliminary designs for the ecclesiastical vestments to be manufactured for the coronation. The intricate pattern of imperial double-headed eagles and floral branches was based on a brocade made for the sakkos of Patriarch Adrian two hundred years earlier in 1696. After the Emperor approved the design, the Sapozhnikov Firm, which was famous for recreating designs of the pre-Petrine period, began manufacturing the textiles. When the entire order was complete, the firm was paid 53,727 roubles and the founder of the firm was awarded the Order of Vladimir, 4th class.