Entertaining, Shopping and Collecting in Paris: The Fate of the Collection of Princess Olga Paley and Grand Duke Paul of Russia
An online lecture by Dr. Wilfried Zeisler

Described in Marcel Proust’s A La Recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time) as a friend of Madame de Guermantes, Princess Olga Paley, known as Countess Olga de Hohenfelsen, was the second and morganatic wife of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, youngest child of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. Because they married without the permission of Emperor Nicholas II, they had to leave Russia. Living in Paris beginning in 1904, the couple was welcomed by Parisian society and amassed an impressive art collection over the subsequent decade that they transferred to Russia just prior to the outbreak of World War I. Based on new research published in Wilfried Zeisler’s book Vivre la Belle Epoque à Paris: Paul de Russie et Olga Paley, this lecture will explore Parisian life during the Belle Epoque through the eyes of Olga de Hohenfelsen and Grand Duke Paul, as well as their fate after their return to Russia in 1914.

Want to watch the lecture but can’t attend the live stream?

No problem! Fill out this form and we will send you a link to the recording.

About the Speaker

Dr. Wilfried Zeisler is Hillwood’s chief curator. He is a graduate of Sorbonne University and the Ecole du Louvre, Paris. Wilfried has written extensively on French and Russian decorative arts, including a 2010 book on French ceramics commemorating the French-Russian Alliance, several articles, and contributions to books. Wilfried’s dissertation, L’Objet d’art et de luxe français en Russie (1881-1917) [French Objets d’art and Luxury Goods in Russia], was published in Paris in 2014. Between 2009 and 2011, he has participated in and curated exhibitions in Paris and Monaco. At Hillwood, his most recent exhibitions were Fabergé Rediscovered (2018), Bouke de Vries: War and Pieces (2019), and Natural Beauties: Exquisite Works of Minerals and Gems (2020). Wilfried co-authored Konstantin Makovsky: The Tsar’s Painter in America and Paris (2015), and is the author of Fabergé Rediscovered  and Vivre la Belle Epoque à Paris — Paul de Russie et Olga Paley, both published in 2018. He is currently working on two book projects, one exploring the connections between the Yusupovs and Parisian culture and the second on the collection of Marjorie Post, Hillwood’s founder (co-authored with Hillwood’s curatorial team).

Connecting With Zoom

This virtual lecture is presented live via Zoom. Registered users will be emailed a link to join this Zoom program. To get started, please download Zoom on your chosen device and explore the Frequently Asked Questions.

This program will be recorded.