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Order of St. Louis
(Miniature), Knight,
Kingdom of France
法蘭西王國時期
騎士級聖路易勳章
(迷你版)
Item number: M12
Year: AD 1800-1825
Material: Gold and Enamel
Size: 32.0 x 20.0 mm
Weight: 3.5 g
Provenance: Liverpool Medals 2022
In AD 1693, Louis XIV, the reigning king of France, decided to establish the “Order of Saint Louis” under the name of the legendary medieval monarch, Louis IX. This order was created to promote the Catholic faith among military officers and recognize their achievements. The members of the Order were eligible to receive the “Order of Saint Louis,” which comprised three ranks: Knight (chevalier), Commander (commandeur), and Grand Cross (grand-croix). According to the original statutes, the organization consisted of an unlimited number of knights, twenty-four commanders, and eight holders of the Grand Cross, marking the first time in French history that order was open to individuals of non-noble birth.
Following the outbreak of the French Revolution, in AD 1792, the National Convention, which had become the supreme authority, declared the establishment of the Republic and the annulment of the Order of Saint Louis. Although the restored Louis XVIII reinstated the order in AD 1814, it faced another discontinuation in AD 1830 after the July Revolution led to the election of the new ruler Louis-Philippe I, who announced the cessation of the Order of Saint Louis. For the known recipients of the order, an official directive was issued to remove the gold Freur De Lis, a symbol of the Bourbon dynasty, allowing them to publicly wear the order.
The method of wearing the Knight rank differs from the Commander and Grand Cross ranks. Instead of being suspended from an 11 cm wide red grand cordon fixed from the upper right to the lower left, the Knight rank is worn with a single 37 mm wide fiery red moiré ribbon, fastened through the eyelet on the left side of the garment.
According to the design of Louis XIV, retired officers who were honored with the order received fixed annual subsidies from the surplus of the Hôtel des Invalides, varying based on the level of the order. The Grand Cross level received 6000 livres, the Commander level received 3000 to 4000 livres, and the Knight level received 2000 livres. However, simultaneously, if an individual who has not been conferred the honor publicly wears the order, they will face the loss of noble titles and even endure up to twenty years of hard labor.
The overall appearance features a cross with white enamel borders, with a specific angle adorned with a gold Freur De Lissymbolizing the Bourbon dynasty of France. Two gold buttons are placed at each end of the branches, and near the central end, a gold-colored dovetail joint connects the badge to the insignia.
The three ranks of the Order of Saint Louis are all made of gold. The most awarded Knight class has a diameter of approximately 40 millimeters and weighs slightly over 11 grams. The higher grades, Commander and Grand Cross, have a diameter of 70 millimeters and weigh slightly over 38 grams. Recipients of the Order often commission private jewelers to craft reduced size replicas for more convenient carrying or display alongside other decorations. These workshops offer different pricing based on the size and material. The weight of this order is 3.5 grams, less than the official version’s 11 grams, making it precisely a miniature replica crafted by a private artisan.
The abbreviation on the border of the insignia’s obverse is also evidence of it being a private miniature replica. The insignia itself is oval-shaped, surrounded on both sides by a gold-bordered blue enamel border. The goldern uppercase inscription on the obverse reads “LUDOV. MAG. INST. 1693,” meaning “Louis the Great instituted in 1693” signifying “Established by Louis the Great in AD 1693,” differing from the official version’s “LUD. M. INST. 1693.”
At the centre of the insignia is a full-body portrait of King Louis, adorned in golden armor, with a blue enamel-painted white ermine cloak on his shoulders. The king’s right-hand holds a green enamel laurel wreath, while the left-hand grasps a green enamel crown of thorns worn by Jesus and a hanging white veil. He stands on green land in front of a red enameled background symbolizing the suffering of Jesus.
Due to its age, the once-complete blue enamel on the border has slightly worn off. A similar situation is observed in elements in green (laurel wreath, crown of thorns, land) and white (cloak, veil).
On the reverse side of the insignia, the blue enamel border bears the inscription “BELL VIRTUTIS PRAEMIUM,” which translates to “The Reward of Valor.” It is noteworthy that this version includes three additional letters (IUM) compared to the official version “BELL VIRTUTIS PRAEM.” At the center of the insignia is a burning golden sword, with the blade passing through a white belt and connecting to a green laurel wreath. The green enamel at the ends of the floral wreath and some of the blue enamel on the border have worn off, revealing the gold base of the insignia.
Due to the aforementioned history, the order is recognized by the present-day “International Commission for Orders of Chivalry” as a knighthood.
綬章正面的邊框縮寫,亦是民間復刻品的證據之一。綬章呈一橢圓形,雙面皆被鑲金邊的藍色琺瑯邊框包圍。正面的金色大寫字母銘文為:「LUDOV. MAG. INST. 1693」,即「路易大帝設立於公元1693年」(完整:Ludovicus Magnus Instituit 1693)之意,和官方版本的「LUD. M. INST. 1693」有所不同。
Borna Barac, Reference Catalogue Orders Medals and Decorations of the World : instituted until 1945 : Part II Bronze Book D-G (Craotia:OBOL d.o.o. Zagreb, 2010)