Russian Enameled Metal Cup or "Khodynka Cup of Sorrows," commemorating the 1896 coronation of Tsar Nicholas II, bearing the cyphers of Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna to one side and the Romanov eagle on the other, divided by geometric patterns. 4" H x 3 3/4" dia. Late 19th century. Note: These cups were originally produced to be given, along with other free tokens, to Russian citizens celebrating the coronation at a festival outside Moscow in a meadow called Khodynka. The cups came to be called "blood cups" or "Khodynka Cups of Sorrow" after a massive crowd stampeded to claim the gifts, crushing an estimated 2,000 people to death. Nicholas and Alexandra were not present, having chosen instead to dance at a ball, and the tragedy resulted in Nicholas being nicknamed "Bloody Nicholas". He was ultimately the last tsar of Russia under Romanov rule, which ended during the Russian Revolution. Nicholas II abdicated on March 15, 1917, and he and his family were killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

PROVENANCE: The Estate of Edward Laudermilk, Nashville, Tennessee.

CONDITION: Minor wear and chipping to rim. Gilding intact. A couple of tiny dark pits to interior.