Nicholas II, an avid smoker, had a vast collection of cigarette cases, many of which he received as gifts. One of the most touching and valuable items in the Fabergé Museum’s collection is one such present, given to the Emperor by his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, in August 1898. Although this cigarette case appears to be made of corkwood, it is actually gold, but this only becomes apparent upon opening it. In the invoice, dated 20 July 1898, it is described as “a corkwood cigarette case with two portraits of His and Her Majesty’s children.”
The cigarette case’s main decoration is in fact two miniature portraits of the Emperor’s eldest two daughters, Olga and Tatyana, painted by Konstantin Makovsky, although some believe that they were made by the painter’s brother Alexander Makovsky, a famous watercolorist. Rows of miniature rose diamonds form the shape of two flowers surrounding the portraits, which are themselves enclosed in portrait diamonds. The facsimile engraving on the gold body reads, in English, “In remembrance of Moscow / August 16th 1898 / fr. your loving / Alix.” It commemorates the royal couple’s visit to Moscow with their children to attend the unveiling of the monument to Alexander II in the Kremlin.