Object of Virtue »

Nicholas B. A. Nicholson is an expert in Russian Decorative Arts. He was a specialist with Christie's Russian Works of Art Department and was the American Coordinating Curator of the blockbuster exhibition "Jewels of the Romanovs: Treasures from the Russian Imperial Court." He lives in New York City. Visit his website at www.nicholasbanicholson.com.

A dazzling debut about the power of family and the pain of betrayal set within Manhattan's Fifth Avenue apartments, the opulent mansions of the new Moscow, and the pre-revolutionary palaces of Saint Petersburg.

Sasha Ozerovsky is a young expert in Russian art at Leighton's, an exclusive Manhattan auction house. When a dealer arrives from Moscow with an exquisite 1913 Fabergé figurine, Sasha immediately recognizes a rare masterpiece. But in the high stakes art world, the price of an object is tied to its history. If Sasha can determine for whom the bejeweled piece was made and where it has been hiding for the past century, its value -- and Sasha's career -- will soar.

But as Sasha moves between New York's high society and Russia's new rich, he discovers that the piece once belonged to his family, and he must face questions about their past that he never dared to ask.

Superbly plotted and evoking the elegance of Russia's gilded age, Object of Virtue is an enthralling tale that explores what happens to a family torn between vanity and virtue.

Publishers Weekly

Nicholson, a former specialist on Russian art works at Christie's, presents a timely debut novel, considering the April auction of the Forbes collection of Faberg Imperial Easter Eggs at Sotheby's. This tale of a Faberg figurine, the Snow Maiden, is dense with insider expertise and historical detail. Prince Alexander "Sasha" Ozerovsky, who as a child absorbed his mother's lessons about rare Russian antiquities and objets d'art, is resident specialist of the Russian Works of Art department at Leighton's, New York's premier small auction house. Conflicts of interest arise when he must authenticate a previously unknown figurine that his great-grandmother may have once owned: "The figure was of a young girl in Russian costume, her arms delicately raised in the gestures of Russian folk dance.... She seemed to move on her own: the light reflecting off the carefully cut and set stones, the face... seemingly aglow from within." The piece has just begun making news when Sasha's cousin and his own father bring suit against the Russian owner, claiming family right of ownership. While the suit is resolved, Leighton's puts Sasha on leave of absence, and he heads to Russia as a guest of the Faberg collector clients of the figurine's owner. As he continues his quest to authenticate the figurine, he discerns his hostess has been sold some clever forgeries, and soon Sasha finds himself at odds not just with his family but with the Russian mafia as well. Whereas some intricacies and details slow the narrative, the plot moves a bit too swiftly to an abrupt, albeit credible, denouement. Agent, Charlotte Sheedy. (Apr.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.