Buttonholes of an officer of the Guards Light Cavalry RIA

Russian Russian Army officers' collars and cuffs had stitched buttonholes on them at the beginning of the 19th century. They emphasized the honorary status of the guard units, as well as the army regiments that had the patronage of the crowned heads, Russian and foreign. In 1855, when the so-called semi-caftan uniforms were replaced, two types of uniform collars were introduced: open in front, with beveled edges, for the guards, and tightly buttoned, with rounded edges, for the army. The configuration of the officers' buttonholes has changed accordingly, but their meaning has remained the same. A number of regiments of the Guards cavalry (cavalry cavalry, dragoons and lancers) retained the buttonholes introduced in 1855 until the end of the old Russian army.

In this case, the uniform on which the buttonholes were installed was lost, but the most valuable part of its decoration was preserved. The buttonholes are embroidered with silver gilt embroidery, which is typical for the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of the gilding was lost in the process of use, but remnants of the coating have been preserved along the edges of the buttonholes and especially in the end parts (slopes). The fact that the buttonholes were originally gold is also evidenced by the color of the thread on which the thread is woven. Judging by the size ratio of the buttonholes, they occupied the entire height of the collar, which is typical for the buttonholes of the Guards Light Cavalry. The original scarlet cloth is almost completely lost, but its remains are clearly visible along the edges of the lace and between the buttonholes. To give the item a collectible look, the buttonholes are mounted on a cloth base, the color of which is as close as possible to the color of the original, and for rigidity they are lined with linen canvas. Based on the color scheme (red collar and gold metal device), the owner of the uniform could have served in the Life Guards of the Horse Grenadiers or the Life Guards of Her Majesty's Lancers.