TSAR NICHOLAS II ~ CORONATION CUP OF SORROW ~
ENAMEL BEAKER 1896 ~IMPERIAL CZARIST RUSSIA ~
The beaker is in good condition some loss of
enamel to the rim & outside,please see the photo's!
IT'S GETTING VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND ONE OF THESE
BEAKERS, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU REALIZE IT SURVIVED:
1. THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
2. RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR
2. WORLD WAR I
3. WORLD WAR II
4. THE COLD WAR &
5. THE FALL OF COMMUNISM
The Khodynka Cup of Sorrows, also known as the Coronation Cup,
the Sorrow Cup, or the Blood Cup,was made for the coronation
of Tsar Nicholas II & Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna in 1896.
The cup bears the cyphers of Nicholas and Alexandra surrounded
by a geometric pattern with the Romanov eagle on the opposite side.
The beaker is among many that were distributed along with food presents and commemorative scarves to celebrate the coronation of Nicholas II, as had been the long-standing tradition. On the morning of 18 May 1896, over half a million revelers gathered on the ragged Khodynka Field in Moscow in anticipation of the presents and especially the commemorative cups (enameled tableware was still a great novelty at the time). That was far more than the field could safely accommodate, especially considering the many trenches and pits that dotted the plain in front of the Tsar's podium, because the entire area was normally used as a military training ground. In the confusion and panic that ensued, over a thousand people were trampled to death in what has become known as the Khodynka Tragedy. This event was taken as an omen of things to come for the rest of Nicholas' reign. The coronation cup became known in Russia as the Cup of Sorrows and the Tsar himself got the nickname of "Bloody Nicholas" - despite his best efforts to compensate the families of the victims.
ITEM: # 1576
PRICE: $ *** SOLD *** 
