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25.08.2024

An early twentieth-century bronze figure of a Prussian standard bearer was recently presented to Tsarskoe Selo by Aleksey Gnedovsky, a Russian collector and philanthropist with earlier generous donations to our WWI Museum.

Honouring the 110th anniversary of WWI and the 10th anniversary of our restored Martial Chamber, the collector handed over his donation at the opening ceremony of our WWI aviation exhibition at the Martial Chamber together with a French Berthier Model 1892 artillery carbine.

The bronze figure of a standard bearer depicts a noncommissioned officer of the Royal Prussian 1st Guards Grenadier Regiment ‘Emperor Alexander I’ (Kaiser Alexander Garde-Grenadier Regiment Nr.1), as the grenadier regiment formed by King Frederick William III of Prussia in 1914 was called from 1860 until its disbandment in 1919. Alexander I was appointed honorary commander of Kaiser Alexander Grenadier Regiment in October 1814 as Prussia's gesture of gratitude for Russia's support in the fight against Napoleon. The honorary rank was subsequently held by all the other Russian emperors except Nicholas I. The regiment's officers and soldiers had Alexander I's monogram on their shoulder boards even during WWI.

The 73.5 х 19 х 19 cm figure was cast in 1910 by Oskar Gladenbeck G.m.b.H., a Berlin-based foundry of the German bronze maker Oskar Gladenbeck (1850–1921), the elder son of Carl Gustav Hermann Gladenbeck (1827–1918). The latter was the founder of the Gladenbeck foundry, Germany's most important fine-art bronze maker in the mid-to-late 19th century and early 20th century known for its high-quality bronze castings for many monuments and fountains in Berlin and some in New York, Philadelphia and Arlington National Cemetery.

Such bronze figures were cast as gifts to officers of the Royal Prussian 1st Guards Grenadier Regiment ‘Emperor Alexander I’ commemorating the completion of their service with the regiment. The donated figure was a commemorative gift to Captain Ernst von Eschwege who originated from an old Hesse family of knights.

The standard bearer has joined the Russia in the Great War display at the Martial Chamber. It stands next to a Colonel’s dress tunic and mitre cap of the same Prussian regiment from our historical collection.