Silver medal 1913, 78.27 g. Award Medal of the Pan-Russian Olympics in Kiev. Dies by I. Marshak. Nude discus thrower, bridge and hilltop scene in background. Rv. City-Arms, frieze and laurel branch below. 52.2 mm. Diakov -. Sehr selten / Very rare. Sehr schön-vorzüglich / Very Fine-Extremely Fine. Felder bearbeitet / Fields tooled.

In the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, the Russian team came in second to last place among the 18 participating nations. One newspaper deemed it "the shame of all the Russian people." In order to prevent such an embarrassment in the future, Grandduke Dmitrii Romanov ordered the creation of a Russian Olympics as a means of practice and training. The first such Pan-Russian Olympics was held in the Kiev Sports Grounds in 1913. Located in the Lukianivka, the Sports Grounds was the first permanent sports stadium in the Russian empire (it was destroyed in WWI). Olympics, sports, Ukrainian, even Judaic -- this very rare award medal encompasses a number of topical interests. It was made by the renowned Jewish jeweler Joseph Marshak, one of the Karl Faberge's main competitors. Called the Cartier of Kiev, Marshak was responsible in 1913 for all the Imperial gifts presented to Nicholas II. The medal above was commissioned later that year. (From Catalogue "The New York sale" XXXVIII, 2016)