LS in pencil, in Russian, signed “Grigori,” on a 5.5 x 3.5 postcard, no date, but postmarked from Tiumen, Siberia, on June 16, 1907. The letter is to his wife Praskovia Fyodorovna Dubrovina, written in another hand while in Siberia, advising her not to dwell on her own troubles because self pity leads to sin, and reminding her that suffering brings salvation. In full, (translated): “Good edification, gift to You in salvation; i.e., by the grace of Our Lord, every teardrop at the Lord appears in a vessel at the throne of God only with reflections instead of as from pernicious heresy who weeps–these tears, so it is said, do not comfort the soul, they lead to worry, and worry begets forlornness as the forlornness is immemorial where it is necessary to think only about all; i.e., remember God and he is the guidebook in an economy to You, and for me on the journey is pleasure, and all be calmed in the glory of Christ and be not afraid of criticism and denigration on us-not we have begun in salvation, were and were and eternally drove and do not rejoice that will caress You; i.e., all village will speak blissful.” Rasputin has signed “Grigori” in the margin and added a small cross. In very good condition, with uniform toning, vertical crease to right side, and a bit of scattered light soiling.
By 1907, Rasputin had already become an integral part of the lives of Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, to treat the hemophilia of their son, Alexei. Many saw the ‘Mad Monk’ as a religious pilgrim with strange healing and prophetic powers, and a spirituality that permeates this letter. “By the grace of Our Lord, every teardrop at the Lord appears in a vessel at the throne of God,” he explains, offering solace to this wife. “All be calmed in the glory of Christ and be not afraid of criticism and denigration on us.” As further evidence of his devotion, Rasputin added a small cross after his name.
Such similar words mesmerized the czar and czarina, who were shaken not only by the ill health of their child but by Russia’s defeat by the Japanese two years before this letter was sent, making them all the more susceptible to his charming influence. Fascinating evidence of Rasputin’s devotion to Christ and the role that belief played in the Russian royal family. Rasputin is decidedly rare in any form, all the more so with the addition of a religious symbol after his name. RRAuction COA.
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