L. I. Dobrovol'skaia, A. M. Luk'ianchikova

"Za sluzhbu i khrabrost'". K 250-letiiu ordena Sviatogo Georgiia ("For Service and Bravery": [Published] to Mark 250 Years of the Military Order of St. George)

St. Petersburg: Herm, 2019. Sewn pb. This Hermitage catalogue of over 400 works shows the role of heraldic imagery in stimulating duty, rewarding military feats, and recognizing patriotic actions. The honor took various palpable forms — ribbons, medals, crosses, swords, banners, standards for individual and group recognition. Its use reflected periods of Russian history beginning in Catherine the Great’s reign by distinguishing exploits of officers and soldiers in her victorious wars. Discontinued by the Soviet government after the 1917 revolution, the St. George order remained a mark of distinction in the White Army during the civil war, and Stalin’s government revived it during the struggle against Naziism as a way to remind soldiers of the country’s historic victories in past centuries. The Russian Federation renewed the award in 1992. The authors point out the connection between art and the Order of St. George in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when its imagery was incorporated in painting, medal art and numismatics, porcelain and glass. Another focus is the order as it appeared in military uniforms, arms, and portraiture. Also examined are prototypes of the order in the image of St. George in Russian icons and Western European painting. 341 p., approx. 400 color and b/w illus., Rus. with title page and summary in ENGLISH. Item #3646
ISBN: 9785935728816

Price: $96.00