612 - EXTREMELY RARE PAIR OF EPaulettes BELONGING TO FIELD MARSHAL

EXTREMELY RARE PAIR OF EPaulettes BELONGING TO FIELD MARSHAL GRAND DUKE MICHEL NIKOLAEVICH OF RUSSIA (1832–1909) A pair of adjutant general’s epaulets from the Imperial Retinue on a red background with white piping, featuring gold zigzag general’s braid with a gold button, embroidered in gold thread with the cipher of Field Marshal Grand Duke Michel Nikolaevich of Russia (1832–1909), which rests upon his two marshal’s batons (since April 1878); the cipher of Tsar Alexander II beneath the imperial crown, in silver thread, surmounts the entire design. Signs of wear. Russia, 1878–1881. H. 15 cm. Provenance Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia (1832–1909), brother of Emperor Alexander II, Field Marshal of the Empire. He wore these epaulets for only three years, from April 1878—when he was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal—until March 1881, the date of the assassination of his elder brother, Tsar Alexander II. History Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich Romanov (1832–1909), the youngest son of Emperor Nicholas I and brother of Emperor Alexander II, was one of the most prestigious military leaders of the Russian Empire. A general from a young age, he commanded the Caucasus Army and served as viceroy of the Caucasus from 1862 to 1881. As the architect of the definitive conquest of the Western Caucasus and the victories in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, he was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal on April 16 (28), 1878. That same year, he received the Imperial Military Order of St. George, 1st Class—the Empire’s highest military decoration—an honor bestowed upon only 25 individuals between 1769 and 1917, including just four members of the Romanov family. A member of the retinue of His Imperial Majesty Tsar Alexander II in the rank of adjutant general since January 25 (February 6), 1856, he held a prominent position at the Imperial Court until the end of his life, making him a legendary figure for any collector of Imperial Russian militaria.