Emaille beker ter gelegenheid van de kroning van Tsaar Nicolaas II van Rusland, 1896. (Zgn. Khodynka beker of 'Bloedbeker')

Geëmailleerde beker, uitgegeven ter gelegenheid van de kroning van Tsaar Nicolaas II van Rusland en Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna in 1896. (Zgn. 'Khodynka beker' of 'Bloedbeker', genoemd naar het feit dat tijdens de paniek bij het uitreiken van deze beker op 18 mei 1896 aan de bevolking talrijke personen de dood vonden). Hoogte 10,6 cm. (Verkocht)

Enamel mug of tapering form.The Khodynka Cup of Sorrows, also known as the Coronation Cup, the Sorrow Cup, or the Blood Cup, made for the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna in 1896. The cup bears the initials of Nicholas and Alexandra surrounded by a geometric pattern with the Russian Romanov imperial arms on the opposite side. It stands 10,6 cm (4,25'') high. (sold)

History: 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 Nichola' - despite his best efforts to compensate the families of the victims.