RUSSIAN COINS AND MEDALS. Nicholas I (1825-1855). Unveiling of his Equestrian Statue in St Petersburg, Silver Medal, 1859, by P Brusnitsyn, bust left in uniform with breast-plate, wearing eagle-topped helmet, rev the statue and plinth, 86mm (Diakov 681.1 R2). Light surface marks, toned, nearly extremely fine.
The equestrian statue in St Isaac's Square was designed by Auguste Ricard de Monferrand and was a technical wonder in its time for the way it balanced only on the horse's two back legs. The plinth is of Finnish granite, decorated with sculptures executed by Russia's leading sculptors. The monument, which took three years to complete, is one of the very few Imperial sculptural monuments to have survived the Soviet era.
Estimate: £1000-1500