Stunning hand-colored vellum DS in Cyrillic, one page, 16 x 10.75, 1791. A beautiful military appointment for the rank of Lieutenant of the Life Guard Horse regiment given to Alexander Polyansk. Signed at the conclusion by Catherine and two other officials. The embossed double-headed imperial eagle seal with the empress’s title affixed to the lower left remains fully intact. Light overall soiling and the signature a shade light, otherwise fine condition. The Horse Guard regiment of the Imperial Guards was the most elite regiment in the army, responsible for securing imperial palaces and private chambers of the empress, as well as escorting Catherine during her travels. The majority of military diplomas from this period are black and white—it seems that only officers of the Horse Guard were privileged to receive these hand-colored diplomas. Alexander Alexandrovich Polyansky served in the Horse Guard regiment until 1798; during the reign of Alexander I he was granted a rank of a chamberlain and became a senator in 1817. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA.
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