Medal awarded to colonels for the Battle of Kalisz

1706

Gottfried Haupt

Gold, enamel, diamonds, aquamarines

On 18 October 1706 after a 3-hour battle outside the town of Kalisz in Poland, the Russian forces led by Alexander Menshikov routed the Swedes. They killed 5,000 and took a further 5,000 prisoners for minimal losses (84 killed and 324 wounded) and also captured considerable trophies in what was then the greatest achievement of Russian arms during the Northern War. Following old Russian tradition, all the participants in the battle received awards in accordance with their status: the soldiers got silver coins ("altyny"), the officers gold medals, whose size and weight depended on their rank. There are some 8 varieties of Kalisz officers' medals.
The Hermitage collection includes two medals used to reward colonels for the Battle of Kalisz. They differ from the medals of the time in having an oval shape, while the decoration with precious stones and enamel makes these pieces close kin to the special awards that took the form of miniature portraits of the Tsar.
The medal was made by the Saxon medallist Gottfried Haupt who worked at the Admiralty Mint in Moscow in 1704-11. The painting of the setting has been tentatively attributed to Grigory Mussikiisky, a noted miniature painter of Peter the Great's time.