G.V. VILINBAKHOV

The history of the Hermitage collection of military banners, which is part of the Department "Arsenal" can be traced back to the Military Regulations of 1716, article 113 of which states that "all the standards and banners captured from the enemy are to be handed over to His Majesty or a General as soon as possible, without delay". This is when old banners, having "served" their expected lifespan of five to twenty years, started to be collected and preserved in local artillery arsenals and regiment storerooms. This came to be the established procedure, which gradually led to the accumulation of Russian banners and trophies in the arsenals and museums.

In 1730, it was decided to transfer the military memorabilia from Moscow and other cities to St Petersburg. This was the beginning of the centralized collection and preservation of weapons, uniforms, banners etc. In 1756, after a petition of Field Artillery General Count P.I. Shuvalov, a storeroom for "curious and memorable articles" (Hall of Memories) was established in St Petersburg. In 1761, it was transferred to the St Petersburg Arsenal. In 1777, the "Hall of Memories" was housed in the spacious new building of the Main Arsenal in the Foundry District (from 1799 - the Old Arsenal), built by Field Artillery General Count G.G. Orlov and donated by him "for the benefit of the artillery". This was to become a new housing place for old weapons and banners which were to be gathered from other storehouses, including monasteries and armouries. Captured enemy weapons and banners were also kept there. From 1797, the "Hall of Memories" officially became the central military storehouse. In 1864, the building of the "Hall of Memories" was handed over to the Ministry of Justice, which meant that all the collections were first transferred to the building opposite, later occupied by the Chief Artillery Administration. Between 1865 and 1868, all the property was divided between the Imperial Hermitage, the Peter and Paul Cathedral and the Kremlin Armoury in Moscow, while the main bulk of the collection was housed in the Crownwork of the Peter and Paul Fortress, where an Historical Museum of Artillery was founded. Besides, banners were kept in the Peter and Paul, Kazan, Transfiguration of the Saviour and Trinity cathedrals, traditional monuments to Russian military glory, as well as regimental chapels, churches and museums. In 1918, after the revolution, it was decided to "gather together the scattered regimental museums of the old army and establish a united Miltary Historical Museum". In 1932, an independent Military History and Household Museum of the Red Army was separated from the Museum of Artillery . Its collection included the items which were still housed in the Crownwork of the Peter and Paul Fortress. In Spring of 1937, the Military Museum was again merged with the Museum of Artillery, and so the banner collection was returned to it. The main collections of this department were transferred to the State Hermitage in 1948, so that at present, it has one of the largest collections of banners, standards, flags, horsetails, bannerets etc., over 6,500 items overall. Among them are 4,000 Russian, 600 European and around 2,000 Oriental and American banners. The Russian Department has samples of nearly all the Russian army banners of the 17th-early 20th centuries. The banners of Guards regiments are especially fully represented. European banners are mostly trophies of war, including the banners and standards of the Swedish army starting from the Northern War of 1700-1721 to the War of 1808-1809; Prussian banners and standards from the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763; banners and standards of Napoleon's Great Army; Polish and Hungarian banners and trophies of the First World War. The Oriental Department has Central Asian and Caucasian, Persian and Turkish banners. The collection of Turkish banners of the 18th - early 20th c. is especially extensive.

The banner collection also includes banner accessories, such as over 3,000 pommels, ribbons, tassels, supports, clamps, cases, bands etc. There is also a collection of banner illustrations, containing over 24,000 drawings and photographs of Russian and foreign banners, produced by the Trophy Commission, established to describe Russian and trophy banners in 1911.