Order of St. Andrew Breast Stars of Catherine the Great

See also https://asiamedals.info/threads/ord...-breast-star-of-catherine-ii-the-great.25660/

Second half of the 18th century.

Paper, silk, pearls.
Diameter 103 mm.
Currently in the collection of Moscow Kremlin Museums.

Catherine II (born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 1729 – 17 November 1796) most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the last Empress of Russia (1762 to 1796) and the longest-ruling. She came to power following the overthrow of her husband and second cousin, Peter III. Under her long reign, inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, Russia experienced a renaissance of culture and sciences, which led to many new cities, universities, and theaters being founded; along with large-scale immigration from the rest of Europe, and the recognition of Russia as one of the great powers of Europe.​

 

Size 80 mm.
Currently in the collection of Hermitage.

 

Size 123 mm.
Currently in the collection of Hermitage.

 

Size 146 mm.
Currently in the collection of Hermitage.

 

Size 110 mm.
Currently in the collection of Hermitage.

 

Legendary breast star and uniform of the company officer /обер-офицера/ of the Semyonovsky Life Guards Regiment. Wearing this very tunic Catherine II led the campaign of the guard against Peterhof on the day of the coup on June 28, 1762.

Stamet /rough wool fabric/, cloth, gold galloon, brass, silver beat, silver thread, silver spun threads, silver sequins, colored silk threads, weaving.
Length (without collar) 92 cm.

Note that the breast star was sewn (in a hurry?) upside down.
Correct position.

"On the morning of June 28, 1762, Ekaterina Alekseevna put on probably the most important outfit in her life. Even more important than wedding or coronation. And it was not a dress, but a uniform ...

Was it possible to carry out a coup d'état in a dress? Of course it is possible. But Catherine, wearing an officer's uniform, made an amazingly right choice. In any dress she would have been a woman "only a woman" by the standards of that era. The uniform made her an Empress. Hit without a miss! Not coquetry, not attractiveness, not femininity - imperiousness, determination, strength. Little was needed from the uniform. First, that he was. Secondly, that it should be at least somewhat fit. Thirdly, it was supposed to be a modest ordinary uniform of a junior officer.
And the honor to give Catherine his uniform fell to Alexander Talyzin, Lieutenant of the Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment. He was not tall and that was just fine, but thin and still did not converge on Catherine's non-fluffy bust. It doesn't matter - as the researcher Olga Khoroshilova writes, "the Empress did not dare to dress up in the Amazonian manner and came up with another way: laces were attached to the upper loops, which were fastened to the buttons ."

What else was needed? Of course, pants, short culottes - but they were just in Catherine's wardrobe, a hat, and, most importantly, a ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

The coup took place, a new empress came to power. And she returned the uniform to its owner. Together with the order star and ribbon! By that time, Talyzin had already been thanked - he became a first lieutenant and chamber junker."​

Portrait of Catherine II in the uniform of the guards by Erickson W. (1722, Copenhagen - 1782, ibid.).

 

Tunic in 1911 (note that the lace is still attached to the second loop).

Source.

From the past: historical materials of the Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment. - St. Petersburg, 1911.
Из прошлого: исторические материалы Лейб-гвардии Семеновского полка. - СПб., 1911.

 

Breast star under a different light.