Arkadiy Konstantinovich Rudanovsky | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1873-01-12)12 January 1873 |
| Died | 1933 |
| Occupation(s) | Art collector,patron |
| Known for | Rudanovsky dynasty, Russian culture inDeauville |
| Children | Anatoly Rudanovsky, Olga Rudanovsky |
| Parent(s) | Konstantin Rudanovsky,Sofia Rudanovsky |
Arkadiy Konstantinovich Rudanovsky (23rd of January 1873 Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire - 9th of November 1933 Nice,France. Russian Orthodox cemetery Caucade, burial number 245) was a Russian art collector, patron, and one of the largest private dealers of art, antiques, and jewellery in Russian Empire. Successful sale of his family treasure, the Sancy Diamond, toLord Astor[1] allowed him to open his first antique shop in 1906 at 62 Nevsky Avenue, central Petrograd (St. Petersburg).[2] Rudanovsky became a close friend and partner ofAgathon Fabergé, the son of the famous Imperial jeweler to the Russian TsarGustav Fabergé. In June 1918, with advice and support from A.K. Rudanovsky, Agathon also opened his antique boutique at 16 Morskaya street, Central Petrograd.[3]
With the onset of theCommunist Revolution in 1917, the Russian art and financial community went into panic, andaristocrats flocked to the partners of A.K. Rudanovsky andFabergé to convert their art and antiques to cash. Rudanovsky and Fabergé rapidly accumulated valuable items to create one of the finest art and antique collections of Russia andEurope. After acquiring it, Rudanovsky donated large portions of this newly acquired art to museums (mainly theHermitage, but some smaller collections can be found at theLouvre and at theMetropolitan Museum). The remainder was hidden with the aim of protecting it for future generations at Agathon's dacha. The dacha of Fabergé was commonly referred to as "The Small Hermitage."
Narcissus - Faberge St. Petersburg 1908. Cajolong, jade, diamonds, rhinestone, gold. The State Hermitage.
In 1906, the Sancy reappeared on the European art market when it was acquired by William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor, from the distinguished Russian collector A. K. Rudanovsky. Rudanovsky’s sale of the Sancy—widely regarded as one of the most historically significant diamonds in Europe—marked a major moment in the stone’s provenance, transferring it from a pre-revolutionary Russian collection into the hands of a prominent Anglo-American family. The diamond remained with the Astor family for seventy-two years, until the 4th Viscount Astor sold it to the Louvre Museum in 1978 for US$1 million (equivalent to US$4.82 million in 2024). The Sancy is now displayed in the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery, alongside the Regent Diamond and the Hortensia Diamond.
