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694 - EXCEPTIONAL SAINT GEORGE’S FLAG RIBBON AWARDED TO THE 1st DI…
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Estimate €10,000 - €15,000
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EXCEPTIONAL SAINT GEORGE’S FLAG RIBBON AWARDED TO THE 1st DIVISION OF THE 16th NIJNI-NOVGOROD DRAGOONS REGIMENT IN 1878 Flag ribbon of the Order of St George in orange moiré silk striped with three black bands, with a lining section in heavy fabric, one of the two ends edged with a double gold fringe 12.5 cm long, within which twisted black and orange silk threads are sewn. The whole is embroidered with silver thread; the bow is adorned with the date “1878 года”; the main face is embroidered with the military distinction in Cyrillic: “За сражение 2го и 3го Октября 1877 года на Аладжинских высотах.” (For the battle of 2 and 3 October 1877 on the Aladja Heights). Inside is embroidered the name of the recipient unit: “To the 1st Division of the 16th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment of His Royal Highness the King of Württemberg.” (To the 1st Division of the 16th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment of His Majesty the King of Württemberg). Mounting bar with a silver-plated brass suspension ring, featuring a gilded brass button. The crowned monograms of Tsar Alexander II at the bottom are missing (only a gilded crown remains, probably added later), as are the plaque and the Cross of St George that were attached to it. Wear and stains, losses and tears. Russia, circa 1878. H. 95 cm (including fringes) x W. 10 cm. History This extremely rare ‘ribbon of distinction’ was awarded by supreme order of Emperor Alexander II on 13 (31) October 1878 to the 1st Division of the 16th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment of His Majesty the King of Württemberg, in recognition of its fighting on 2 and 3 October 1877 on the heights of Aladzhin (or Aladzha, Turkey). Another Georgian ribbon was awarded to the 2nd Division on the same date for the fighting at Begli-Akhmet. In 1878, following the Russo-Turkish War, ribbons of the Order of St George were introduced as the highest distinction for standards and flags that had already been awarded citations for bravery. The design of our ribbon was approved by Tsar Alexander II on 11 April 1878 (ill. 1), the prototype, which never left the General Staff archives, is now housed in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg (ill. 2, inv. 3nPr), in perfect condition apart from the absence of its Cross of St George. The decree conferring the ribbon on the regiment was drafted and signed by the Tsar on the feast day of St George and his Order at the Winter Palace on 26 November 1878, though the regiment did not receive the document until February 1879. The ribbons of the two divisions were not formally affixed to the standards until 11 September 1880, by Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich during a ceremony (ill. 3). On 8 September 1901, during the bicentenary jubilee of His Majesty the Emperor of Russia’s 44th Nizhny Novgorod Regiment and His Majesty the King of Denmark’s 45th Seversky Regiment, held in Tiflis, two new St George’s flags were presented to these two regiments, of the 1900 model featuring the Mandylion (ill. 4). On this occasion, a St George’s banner was added to the flag, beneath the Mandylion, bearing a unified inscription commemorating the military exploits of both divisions (ill. 5). In the summer of 1914, following the general mobilisation, this new standard accompanied the ‘Nijegorodsky’ regiments from the Caucasus to Poland, where they fought the Germans (the famous charge at Koluszki on 10 November 1914); then, on their return to the Caucasus, the Turks in the summer of 1915 (the Alachkert operation), before joining the Expeditionary Corps in Persia in 1916. After the Civil War, the survivors found themselves scattered mainly across Belgrade, Paris and Czechoslovakia. Until the end of the Russian Imperial Army’s existence, this award of large St George’s ribbons remained the only one of its kind. During the First World War, the Cuirassier Regiment of Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna’s Royal Guard was nominated for the highest honour; however, as the presentation of collective decorations had been postponed until the end of the war in 1916, the ribbons were never awarded. The Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment was formed on 8 September 1701 by the Voivode of Novgorod, Apraksin, from hussars, halberdiers and reiters organised into ten companies, under the name of the ‘Morelia’ Dragoon Regiment (named after André Morel de la Carrière, of French origin). It was given the name Нижегородский in 1708 by order of Peter the Great. From 1783 onwards, it was permanently stationed on the Caucasian front, which remained the main theatre of its operations for the following two centuries. On 25 March 1864, it was assigned the number 16 and, on 13 June 1864, it took the name “16th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment of His Majesty the King of Württemberg”, King Charles I of Württemberg having been its honorary commander since 1846. It became the 44th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment on 18 August 1882, then the 17th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment of His Majesty on 6 December 1907. The Battle of the Aladzhin Heights took place from 2 to 15 October 1877 (Gregorian calendar) in eastern Turkey (formerly Western Armenia), on the Caucasian front of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. It pitted the Russian Army’s Caucasian Corps, commanded by Cavalry General Mikhail Loris-Melikov, against the Ottoman forces led by Ahmed Mukhtar Pasha. On 3 October 1877, the Nizhny Novgorod dragoons charged the Vizinkev bastion in mounted formation, taking it from the rear just as other troops were attacking it head-on, capturing five guns, an enemy flag and around 1,000 prisoners. This victory enabled the Russians to open the way towards Kars. Bibliography - Alexandre Polevoy, in "Tseykhgauz", no. 10, 2000, pp. 32–35, “Wide St George’s Ribbons on Banners and Standards: The Highest Collective Award of the Russian Army” (the ribbon in question, listed as “Private collection, Moscow” and illustrated; see fig. 6). - Potto V. A., History of His Majesty’s 17th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. Tiflis, 1908, p. 107 (Fig. 7). - Potto V. A., History of His Majesty’s 44th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. Tiflis, 1895, p. 190 (fig. 8).
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About the sale Russian Art – Mr G’s Collection – Part 3
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Auction time 09/18/2026 at 11:00 AM
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