"The Collection of Monsieur G."
Imperial Russian Militaria
September 17 & 18, 2026
Hôtel Drouot, Paris.
Rooms 1–7
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On September 17 and 18, Millon and the Giraudeau auction house will present a major two-day sale dedicated to Imperial Russian militaria. The auction brings together—across three sessions—more than 800 items from the collection of a French enthusiast of Russian descent who dedicated his life to researching and preserving historical artifacts linked to the Russian Empire and the White émigré community.
Assembled over decades across Europe and beyond, this collection—unique in the world in its museum-quality scope—includes military uniforms and headgear, regimental flags, sabers and firearms, decorations and orders of chivalry, photographs and archives, as well as books and historical memorabilia. Together, they bear witness to the military and ceremonial world of Imperial Russia up to 1918.
Highlights of the sale include two regimental flags (along with rare ribbons and flag finials), a Guard Hussar sabretache bearing the cipher of Nicholas II, a silver St. George trumpet, a saber from the era of Catherine II, a military volume from the library of Platon Zubov, a pair of shoulder boards and a cap that belonged to Tsar Nicholas II, and a section of the collar of the Order of St. Andrew dating from the reigns of Paul I and Alexander I.
Beyond their rarity, these objects tell the story of a collector’s passion and of a heritage scattered across the globe following the fall of the Russian Empire. The sale will particularly highlight the elegance of the Russian uniforms and headdresses worn by various Imperial Army regiments, the symbolic richness and craftsmanship of the goldsmiths who created civil and military decorations, and the museum-quality nature of the collection.
The third part, lots 365 to 739, is the largest and probably the most spectacular due to the variety and historical importance of certain groups. It begins in the morning with books and archives, then continues at 1:30 p.m. with uniforms, souvenirs from the First World War, headdresses, epaulettes, outfit accessories, flags, goldwork, paintings, Romanov souvenirs, bronzes, orthodoxy and porcelain.
The library testifies to the very documented nature of the collection: military history, uniformology, weapons, navy, decorations, Romanov or wars of the Empire. Some works also have remarkable provenances, such as a military regulation from 1755 coming from the library of Prince Platon Zubov, the last favorite of Catherine II.
The second session takes on a much more museum dimension. It brings together uniforms and headdresses of the Guard, pieces of imperial origin, flags and regimental souvenirs. Among the emblematic pieces is a rare parade cap that belonged to Tsar Nicholas II, coming directly from the world of the Imperial Guard. The flags section is particularly strong: a rare flag of the 43rd regiment of the Siberian Tirailleurs, commemorating in particular the Russo-Japanese War, constitutes one of the great historical sets in the catalog, with an estimate of €40,000–60,000, which gives an idea of the level of this last vacation.
