Royal Haul

It sounded good, but how good? Thomas Colt Jr., director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, had no idea. All he knew was that a wealthy Mrs. John Lee Pratt had willed to the museum her collection of the last Russian Czar's family trinkets.

Colt drove over to the Pratt home in Fredericksburg, piled the packages in the back of his station wagon and brought them back to the red brick museum in Richmond. When he recalls how casually he treated these treasures, he shudders.

When he unwrapped Mrs. Pratt's gifts, he found:

P: A world globe of topaz on a solid gold base.

P: A rock crystal Easter egg rimmed with diamonds and topped with a rare 27-carat Siberian emerald. By twisting the emerald and peeking into the egg, the Czarina could see twelve gold-framed miniatures of her favorite palaces, radiating from a thin gold axis.

P:| An oval gold snuffbox with a cameo sea scene on its lid, framed by 50 large diamonds.

P: An emerald bird in a golden cage set with pearls, on a jade base.

Last week thousands crowded the museum for a look. They were not allowed to see all the treasures at once. Skittish Director Colt had only 30 of the 600 on show. Until the museum gets a new, burglarproof wing, the rest will stay hidden in vaults at the bank.

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