In 1914, the ataman of the Kuban Cossack Host Mikhail Babych, celebrated two anniversaries at once — his 70th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his service in the officer ranks. To mark this event, Babych received the rank of General of the Infantry and a welcome address from Emperor Nicholas II, with whom the ataman remained friends.
The welcome address was placed in a leather folder, designed by the famous jewelry company of Carl Fabergé. The base was made of brown leather, which was covered with moire — a dense silk fabric with water appearance. A silver plate with an engraved pattern was placed on the front side of the folder: the master depicted the emblems of the Russian Empire and the Kuban region, military banners, and a commemorative inscription.
In the corners of the plate, there are embossed round rosettes with ornamental stones inserted in the center. The emblem of the Kuban region was additionally covered with colored enamel. The monogram of Nicholas II is on the chest of the double-headed eagle, the bird being the emblem of the Empire.
The inscription on the front side of the folder reads, ‘To the native Kuban Cossack Mikhail Pavlovich Babych, the Appointed Ataman of the Kuban Cossack Host. 1864–1914’. The dates are the years of Mikhail Babych’s birth and anniversary.
In the lower part of the silver plate, Cossack relics are depicted: banners and flanged maces, which became part of the Kuban emblem, six military cannons, and a naseka-stick — a symbol of power, which Nicholas II granted to Mikhail Babych in 1907.
Two miniature porcelain plates were placed between the images of the relics. One of them features a photo of a Cossack watchman on a tower, and the other one is a drawing by the Kuban artist Pyotr Kosolap “Plastuns [Cossack scouts — ed.] in an Ambush”. At the top of the folder, on both sides of the emblem, there are two more larger plates featuring photos with Cossack everyday life scenes.
Four miniature legs, which resemble the shape of traditional Cossack papakhas (tall Caucasian fur hats), are attached to the back of the folder. Their ends are covered with red enamel, which enhances the similarity: Kuban papakhas traditionally had a red fabric top.
The welcome address was placed in a leather folder, designed by the famous jewelry company of Carl Fabergé. The base was made of brown leather, which was covered with moire — a dense silk fabric with water appearance. A silver plate with an engraved pattern was placed on the front side of the folder: the master depicted the emblems of the Russian Empire and the Kuban region, military banners, and a commemorative inscription.
In the corners of the plate, there are embossed round rosettes with ornamental stones inserted in the center. The emblem of the Kuban region was additionally covered with colored enamel. The monogram of Nicholas II is on the chest of the double-headed eagle, the bird being the emblem of the Empire.
The inscription on the front side of the folder reads, ‘To the native Kuban Cossack Mikhail Pavlovich Babych, the Appointed Ataman of the Kuban Cossack Host. 1864–1914’. The dates are the years of Mikhail Babych’s birth and anniversary.
In the lower part of the silver plate, Cossack relics are depicted: banners and flanged maces, which became part of the Kuban emblem, six military cannons, and a naseka-stick — a symbol of power, which Nicholas II granted to Mikhail Babych in 1907.
Two miniature porcelain plates were placed between the images of the relics. One of them features a photo of a Cossack watchman on a tower, and the other one is a drawing by the Kuban artist Pyotr Kosolap “Plastuns [Cossack scouts — ed.] in an Ambush”. At the top of the folder, on both sides of the emblem, there are two more larger plates featuring photos with Cossack everyday life scenes.
Four miniature legs, which resemble the shape of traditional Cossack papakhas (tall Caucasian fur hats), are attached to the back of the folder. Their ends are covered with red enamel, which enhances the similarity: Kuban papakhas traditionally had a red fabric top.
