X 6707, Dec. 4, 1933

Transcription: [double-headed eagle] RUSSIAN IMPERIAL EXHIBIT December 4th, 1933. Article No. X 6707 Runner. Of vari-colored silk floral design of pussy willows. Probably used at Easter time. Circa 1780. From a collection of brocades which were formerly used in the Imperial Chapels of the Romanoffs as altar covers and priests’ robes. They were brought from the various Palaces about St. Petersburg to the Winter Palace. Here soldiers of the present government sorted them for burning so that the precious gold and silver used in weaving many of them could be reclaimed. Fortunately, Dr. Armand Hammer heard of the plan and succeeded in saving a large number of the vestments by purchasing them. These glorious fabrics, brilliant with metals that will never tarnish, combine the skill and artistry of the West with the originality and color of the Far East.

From the Hammer Collection – Three East Fifty-second Street, New York, N. Y.