CIRCA 1915

Details

A Very Rare St George Cossack Sword with Diamonds, Pattern 1913
circa 1915
Gilt brass grip, the cap piece set with diamonds with the engraved Russian inscription 'For Bravery' above, the lower part of the grip set with an enamelled miniature of the Order of St George within a diamond rim, leather scabbard
38½ in. (97.5 cm.) long

Provenance

Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich the Younger (1856-1929).
Grand Duke Piotr Nikolaevich (1865-1931), brother of the above.
Prince Roman Petrovich (1896-1978), son of the above.
Thence by family descent.

Literature

V. A. Durov, Russian Award Weapons XVIII. Beginning of the XIX Century Moscow, Smolensk, 1994, p. 121, illustrated p. 120 (catalogued with the wrong location as the present sword has never been in the Museum of Military Ammunition in Copenhagen but always in a private collection).

Sale room notice

Please note, that although this is known as 'Sword with diamonds' the 'diamonds' are paste in this example.

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Lot Essay

During the First World War, only eight St George swords with diamonds were awarded. Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich the Younger was awarded his on 4 April 1915 as Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces. The others were awarded to General P. A. Lechitski (27 September 1914), Lieutenant-General V. A. Irmanov (14 February 1915), General-Lieutenant S. F. Dobrotin (20 February 1915), Major-General A.I. Denikin (10 November 1915), General P. P. Kalitin (19 May 1916) and General A. A. Brussilov (10 July 1916).

As mentioned and specified in the Statute of the Order of St George the present sword is one of the two St George swords with diamonds that the Grand Duke wore in the field in his various military capacities (the other one, of infantry pattern, was sold at Christie's London on 11 June 2007, lot 323); the one presented by the Emperor and set extensively with diamonds (see J. Ferrand, Romanoff, Album de Famille, Paris, 1989, p. 171, photo 301) and valued by the Imperial Cabinet at 10415 roubles was exclusively worn for important official events.

Nonetheless, a sword of St. George with diamonds of such pattern as the present one, with such important and impeccable Imperial provenance, has never before appeared at auction and can be easily considered unique.

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