This cross has amusing story of wrong museum attribution. For many years State Historical Museum attributed this cross to none other than General Mikhail Dmitriyevich Skobelev /correctly attributed cross
https://asiamedals.info/threads/4th...f-general-mikhail-dmitriyevich-skobelev.27252 ; see also
https://asiamedals.info/threads/st-...-general-mikhail-dmitriyevich-skobelev.23498/ /.
For the first time this attribution appeared in the album "Relics of the History of the Russian State" published by museum in 1995.
Attribution.
"Badge of the Order of George IV class of General M.D.Skobelev.
Gold, enamel. 1877.
M. D. Skobelev wore this cross during the Russian-Turkish war.
On February 19, 1878, he presented this cross near Constantinople to Colonel L. N. Skobelev".
Amazingly precise attribution, isn't it?
But the cross marked with assay mark that will be introduced
only in 1899.
So this whole attribution is nothing but a fantasy.
Two years later cross reappeared (with the same attribution) on a postcard issued by the museum.
After that for more than two decades this cross was referred to as "Scobelev cross".
Only recently museum collections staff pay attention to the assay mark and re-attributed cross to 1905-1906.
In fact (before "Scobelev" attribution incident) cross was attributed to the Russo-Japanese war.
On display in 1988.
With the following attribution.
"On the left - a badge of the Order of St. George, IV class for participation in the battle of the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" with the Japanese squadron on January 27, 1904 in the Korean port of Chemulpo. On the right is the sailors' medal for this battle".
Two years later in Durov`s "Russian and Soviet Combat Awards" (published in 1990)
on page 50
this cross was
correctly attributed to Lieutenant Pavel Stepanov (awarded with 4th class St.George on April 16, 1904 for the battle of Chemulpo Bay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chemulpo_Bay). About him
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Степанов,_Павел_Гаврилович. Cross was donated to the museum by E.P. Stepanova-Kravets.
Book description.
1. Badge of the Order of George of the fourth class of Lieutenant P.G. Stepanov, a participant of the battle of "Varyag" and "Koreyets" with the Japanese squadron at Chemulpo in January 1904.
1. Знак ордена Георгия четвертой степени лейтенанта П.Г. Степанова, участника боя «Варяга» и «Корейца» с японской эскадрой при Чемульпо в январе 1904 года.
In our days.
