Medals, Orders & Decorations
GREAT BRITAIN
Admiral Vernon’s Medal for the Capture of Portobello in 1739
The pinchbeck metal medalion commerating the capture of Portobello in Panama
by Admiral Vernon and Commodore Brown in 1739. It is toned to a rich brown and
is in F-VF condition for its age and near as struck with only minor dings. A
scarce early military medallion and seldom seen. Similar to Mitchner 5047 and
37 mm in diameter. Historically this is a very interesting piece as it reflects
the continuing struggle between Spain and England over American trade. The more
general struggle of the War of the Austrian Succession will not break out until
the next year. Although sold as a commerative and not an official issue to combattants,
this is clearly a precursor to the numerous British campaign medals of the 19th
and 20th centuries.
F-VF -- $65.00
IMPERIAL AUSTRIA/HUNGARY
1813-1814 Canon Cross, Officer’s Gilt Version
We are pleased
to have three variations of the scarce officer’s gilt 1813-1814 Canon
Cross from a famous collection. All are heavily gilt after removal of the original
green lacquer, and show slight wear from usage, although all are in overall
VF condition or better. All three bear the official double eagle in a diamond
hallmark. After 20 years of searching I now have found proper color and quality
replacement ribbons for all these crosses. No. 1, in the upper left, has a thick,
grooved issue-type ribbon ring; no. 2, in the upper right, has a thin, grooved
issue-type ribbon ring; and no. 3, at the bottom, has a replacement thick, gold
flat ribbon ring.
There were almost 300,000 common crosses made by several manufacturers, and
so the ribbon rings and hallmarks vary slightly as here, but likely only 2%
or so still survive today and this is an increasingly scarce item. Officer's
crosses in gilt likely only number a few hundred at most as I have only seen
or heard of less than a dozen in 30 years of looking.
Reference:
VF
$295.00 each
Museum Replica of Prince Metternich’s Great Civil Cross of Merit 1814
When
the Canon and Civil merit Crosses were issued in 1814 two special, large crosses
were also awarded. There was a military cross for FM Schwarzenberg and a civil
cross for Prince Metternich. The Schwarzenberg cross is in the Military Museum
in Vienna, but the Metternich cross has not been seen since he fled Vienna in
the Revolution of 1848. For display a very few museum copies have been made
in silver-gilt, of which this is one. I have heard of them before, but this
is the only one I or my friends have seen in 40 years. It would be worn on the
civil cross ribbon of a wide black stripe between two gold ones, and some paintings
and engravings of Metternich show it worn thus (one shown below).
Near EF condition with proper grooved ribbon ring, but no ribbon.
$250.00
Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece
A
complete bijou of the Spanish Golden Fleece in silver-gilt fom the middle to
late period of Alphonso XIII, most likely 1900-1930 in date. Of the Spanish
Fleeces that we have seen this is one of the very finest, with high quality
workmanship, a creative design and a light blue sapphire in the Pierre a Fois.
The Fleece is in the Spanish profile manner and is in full round, but the other
elements are uniface as is normal with Spanish Fleece insignia. The briquette
is an elaborate Hispano-Moorish style of knotted “B”s with finely engraved edges,
and the flames are exceptionally modeled and complex for modern Spanish bijous.
The cut ball pivot for the Fleece hints at French workmanship, as does the Art
Nouveau briquette design. Contemporary and likely original cravat ribbon.
This is the second of such "standard" 20th century Spanish Fleece
bijous we have had. Unlike the first one which showed many marks of long wear,
this one seems immaculate and unworn and likely came from old dealer's stock.
The elements are a little smaller, and thus more "modern", in this
fleece than the previous one, giving it an elegant and decorative appearance.
When the number of Spanish members declined after the Civil War and was not
revived as a social order after the return of Juan Carlos, such speculative
manufactures remained unsold.
Until the last 10 years or so we saw several bijous of the Golden Fleece in
major dealers catalogs every year, but this is the first I have seen in a while.
More people, more money and no more ancient items being made is seeming to bring
scarcity to many antique objects from books to orders.
Immaculate condition.
1,500
Euros.
Court Badge of an Officer of the Spanish Inquisition
A very rare 18 k.
gold and enamel badge of office of the Royal Spanish Court Officer of the Spanish
Inquisition from c. 1700. This is the official whom Dostoyevsky would call the
"Grand Inquisitor". At this time the Grand Inquisitor was Balthasar
Sarmiento de Mendoza y Sandoval, 5th Marquis of Camarosa, Bishop of Segovia
and Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece No. 476, and it is most likely
his badge. The badge is cut from a sheet of apx. 18 k. gold on an 18 k. gold
mounting ring, nearly worn through from wear. A significant portion of the original
enamels on the symbols remains.
The date of the badge is very significant as 1700 was the year of the death
of Charles II, the last ruler from the medieval-leaning Habsburg dynasty. On
his death the War of the Spanish Succession followed with an Austrian-Habsburg
claimant opposing one from the French Bourbon dynasty. The Inquisition itself
was in some chaos at this time as well, with the Grand Inquisitor proposing
arresting Froilan Diaz, another member of the Suprema (Church Council of the
Spanish Holy Office). Balthazar was also a knight of the Golden Fleece (no.
476 from 1669 to his death in 1715).
Finally, the throne was awarded to the Bourbons, with the Habsburgs gaining
territories elsewhere and the right to have their own version of the prestigeous
Order of the Golden Fleece. Alas, poor Balthazar backed the wrong candidate,
and we hear little from him in his last years. The Bourbons attempted to modernize
Spain in the manner of France, but the Spanish were attached to their ancient
and inefficient customs and change was slow. The Inquisition was a peculiarly
Spanish institution, and they clung to its repressive and backward looking isolationism.
Even when Napoleon eliminated it while his brother Joseph was King of Spain,
the Spanish Bourbon King Ferdinand brought it back again in 1815 and it endured
for a further generation.
A wonderful piece of history, it is 2.2 cm wide, 3 cm tall with an 8 mm mounting
ring and weighs apx. 5 grams. Comes with several pages of documentation and
history, including a German catalog page showing the piece, bill of sale from
a London auction showing it sold for $800 in 1988, a copy from Gottschalk's
history of ancient orders of 1818 showing the piece and notes on the career
of de Mendoza y Sandoval, Grand Inquisitor of the Holy Order and member of the
Order of the Golden Fleece. For more details see Inquisition
info
VF with some chips to the enameled and wear to the attachment point.
$1,000.00
For orders, questions or suggestions please contact Stephen
Herold.
Sales by check, money order or major credit card.
Stephen Herold
4235 Fremont Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98103, USA
206-547-1718
GO TO:
Stephen Herold's Home Page
Medals that have sold since 1996
Society of the Golden Fleece
The Société Napoléonienne
Antiques AtoZ Home Page
Books AtoZ Home Page
This site copyright © Antiques AtoZ 1996-2008. All rights reserved.