Description:

Catherine II of Russia Czarina

Catherine the Great DS promoting Ivan Varvatzi to the rank of 2nd Major

 

1p partly printed and partly handwritten DS in Russian, signed by Empress Catherine II (1729-1796) as "Catherine" in the lower right corner. Handsomely presented in a repousse frame behind a gilt-edged red velvet mat and glass. Also includes a 4 x 2.75" color souvenir card depicting the Empress as a Lawgiver at the Temple of Justice after a 1783 version of a portrait by Dmitry Levitsky. 

 

The document, a printed vellum sheet measuring ss: 10" x 15", is decorated by a Neo-Classical frieze depicting soldiers, armaments, and vegetal patterns. A beautiful octagonal embossed paper seal is located in the lower left corner. In very good to near fine condition with expected light soiling and folds. Catherine's signature is light, as are some of the other manuscript notations. Not examined out of frame.

 

In St. Petersburg in 1782, Empress Catherine the Great conferred the rank of Second Major on Ivan Varvatzi.  The document should yield interesting discoveries when fully translated.

 

Catherine II controlled her diverse subjects and vast territories through a large, complex, and fully funded military. One of Catherine's primary objectives was territorial gains. During her 34-year-long reign, Catherine expanded the Russian Empire to the southwest into areas formerly controlled by the Ottoman Empire, annexed Crimea, and partitioned Poland. Catherine also relied heavily on the Russian Imperial Army to suppress insurrection, notably the 1775 Pugachev Rebellion. Many of Catherine's lovers were from the military, including her beloved advisor Grigory Potemkin (1739-1791), who died just a year before Catherine II signed this document.

 

Ex The Wolfe Family Trust Collection

 

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