Museum Collection
The Seal of the 1st Company of the 12th Don Cossack Regiment
The history of this regiment is interesting not only for the fact that from 1875 it was formed of Cossacks from the neighbouring villages – Migulinskaya, Vyoshenskaya, Kazanskaya, but also for the hero, GrigoryMelekhov, and other personages of the novel “The Quiet Don” who were described by M.A.Sholokhov to serve in this regiment in those tragic years. Many chapters of the great novel are devoted to this regiment that fought in the First World War.
The seal of the 1st company of the 12th Don Cossack regiment is a valuable acquisition for the collection of the National M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve.
The metal part (a wooden handle has been lost) of this round form rarity, in the central circle, bears a coat of arms of the Russian Empire – the two-headed eagle, and an inscription around the perimeter: ”The 1st Company of the 12th Don Cossack Regiment”, divided with a miniature George Cross.
Regimental seals can be attributed to the regalia or kleinods, but the seals of the companies which appeared later, are rather attributes of the service and administrative activity of the military companies in the XIX– XX centuries. A company commander or his deputy ensealed his signature under his orders, other administrative official documents, reports to the higher command so as to authenticate the documents.
The year of appearance of such seals in the military companies including the 12th Don Cossack regiment could not be found out in the process of attribution. The study of the subject continues.
Marina Pribytkova
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