Lot 184
A RARE AND IMPORTANT IMPERIAL RUSSIAN CHAINMAIL AND ARMOR OFFICER'S SET OF THE CAUCASUS-MOUNTAINS’ HALF-SQUADRON OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY'S OWN KONVOI ESCORT HALF-SQUADRON TULA, CIRCA 1835-1840. Comprising a matching officer's set of chainmail and armor consisting of a chainmail shirt, tall Taj type helmet, arm guards and belt. The three quarters length chainmail shirt with half length sleeves, open collar and single vent front skirt. The Taj helmet in traditional Circussian form, with metal skull surmounted by small gilt silver finial from which is suspended two red "tongues" and mounted with parcel gilt silver panels profusely chased and nielloed, with inscriptions of Koran verses in Arabic including Allah Akbar (God is Great!) on the front cartouche. With steel chainmail face curtain and side and back curtains falling to the shoulders. En suite steel arm guards with chased banding and mounted with silver-gilt decorative elements and with chain link steel and silver-gilt mounted cuffs with matching silver-gilt buckles. Together with a red leather belt decorated with interlocking chased silver-gilt panels and double seahorse buckle, typical of mid-19th century Imperial Russian officer uniforms. Helmet with indistinguishable maker's mark and all silver and silver-gilt elements stamped with 84 silver standard. Height of helmet from finial to bottom of chain 27 inches (68.5 cm), belt length 37 inches (94 cm), arm guard length 11.5 inches (29 cm).
Estimate:  $60,000 - 80,000   € 42,000 - 56,000

Passed

The Caucasus-Mountains’ Half-Squadron of His Imperial Majesty’s Own Konvoi Escort was formed in 1828 shortly after the Northern Caucasus conquest by the Nicholas I and on his order to form a unit voluntarily conscripted from local high nobility from the Caucasus region to serve as the Imperial Court’s Konvoi escort. Such an edict by Tsar Nicholas I helped to show the people of the region that the Russian government respected their culture and desired a good working relationship. It is estimated that approximately 60 matching parade sets such as the offered lot were made in mid-1830’s at the Tula Arms factory by Imperial order and paid for by the Imperial treasury specifically for the members of the Eastern Konvoi. Each set was richly decorated at great expense to replicate the best examples of 18th century Circussian uniforms. Officers of the unit received the richly decorated high Taj type helmets (such as the offered lot), together with silver-gilt decorated arm bands and belts. The half squadron original uniforms were in use by every member of the squadron until 1882, after which only Northern Georgian region of Kabarda inhabitants wore the uniform which then became known as “historical.” Today, it is believed that only five such examples exist outside of Russian museums and it is believed that this is perhaps the only officer’s type in a private collection.