Item number: M30

Year: AD 1892-1939

Material: Gold and Enamel

The results after XRF testing

Size: 305 x 55mm

Weight: 39.82g

Manufactured by: Utrecht, Rijksmunt(Royal Dutch Mint)

Provenance: Liverpool Medals 2022

The Order of Orange-Nassau (Orde van Oranje-Nassau) is a national order bestowed by the Dutch royal family upon individuals for civil and military service. The name “Orange-Nassau” refers to the Dutch royal family, which originated from the Orange-Nassau castle along the Rhine River in Germany around the year AD 1100. In AD 1599, William I, who held the title of Prince of Orange within the family, led the Netherlands to independence from Spanish rule. Since then, “Orange-Nassau” has been the royal family of the Netherlands.

Before the establishment of the Order of Orange-Nassau, King William II of the Netherlands, who also held the title of Grand Duke of Luxembourg, wanted to enhance the prevailing system of honors, intending to commend individuals for their societal contributions. To fulfill this purpose, he instituted the “Order of the Oak Crown” to reward individuals in both the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

The throne and the title of Grand Duke passed to William III, but upon his death, he left only a female heir, Princess Wilhelmina, who would later become Queen of the Netherlands. According to the family agreement within the House of Nassau, the title of Grand Duke was transferred to the male heir of the Walram line. In response to these changes in succession, Queen Regent Emma, representing her underage daughter, established the Order of Orange-Nassau in AD 1892 to reward individuals who had made special contributions to the Netherlands, regardless of their background or nationality. The annual award ceremony is typically held on the official birthday of the reigning Dutch monarch, which is currently on April 27.

Before the AD 1996 amendment, the Order of Orange-Nassau had a total of five ranks and additional honorary medals (gold, silver, bronze). However, after the amendment, the honorary medals were abolished, and the rank of “Member” was introduced, bringing the total number of ranks to six. (See table)

This Order is the Commander grade, ranking as the third level in the Order of Orange-Nassau. The ribbon, which is 55mm wide, features orange representing the Dutch royal family, with blue stripes on both sides symbolizing the Nassau family. These colors are separated by a narrow white stripe. As per the specifications for the Commander grade, men wear the Order with cravat, while women use a 37mm-wide rosette to place the Order on the left side of the chest.

Prior to World War II, the insignia for officers and higher ranks was crafted from gold. However, following the war, these insignia were gilded. In contrast, the insignia for the knight and member grades were traditionally fashioned from silver. This insignia features a Maltese cross with a suspended crown on top, surrounded by white enamel borders and painted with blue enamel. Each of the eight tips of the cross is adorned with a gold bead for decoration. The civilian version is distinctive for the laurel wreath surrounding the cross, while the military version lacks the laurel wreath and instead includes two crossed gold-handled silver swords on the back of the circular shield. The base of the crown is adorned with white, red, and green gemstone decorations.

The central part of the insignia features a blue enamel circular shield surrounded by a white enamel border with a gold frame. The obverse side of the circular shield depicts a lion, similar in style to the national emblem. The white border surrounding the shield bears the insription “Je Maintiendrai,” which translates to “I will maintain.” On the reverse side of the circular shield, there is a large gold letter “W” wearing a crown in the centre, representing Queen Wilhelmina, who established the order. The white enamel border around it bears the insription “God zij met ons,” meaning “God be with us.”

物件編號: M30

年代: 公元 1892-1939 年

材質: 黃金, 琺瑯

XRF分析結果

尺寸: 305 x 55mm

重量: 39.82g

製造地: 烏特勒支, 荷蘭皇家鑄造廠

來源: 利物浦獎章 2022

此勳章為奧蘭治-拿騷勳章（Orde van Oranje-Nassau），是皇室頒發給荷蘭民事和軍事體系的國家級勳章(National Order)。「奧蘭治-拿騷」是荷蘭的皇室家族，公元1100年該家族發跡於德國萊茵河畔的拿騷堡，自此以發跡地為命名。公元1599年，家族中擁有奧蘭治親王頭銜的威廉一世帶領荷蘭脫離西班牙統治，此後「奧蘭治-拿騷」便成為荷蘭的皇室家族。

該勳章於公元1892年4月4日創立前，兼任盧森堡大公的荷蘭國王威廉二世希望在舊有的勳章制度上，新增勳章以鼓勵社會賢達。為此他以盧森堡大公頭銜創建「櫟樹王冠勳章」，用以鼓勵荷蘭跟盧森堡兩地的人士。皇位和大公頭銜接續傳予威廉三世，但威廉三世去世前僅留下女性繼承人，即日後荷蘭的威廉明娜女王。盧森堡大公頭銜按照拿騷家族的內定協議，則轉讓給瓦爾拉姆支系的男性繼承。公元1892年為應對繼承的變化，國王的遺孀艾瑪攝政女王代表未成年女兒，創立奧蘭治-拿騷勳章以獎勵替荷蘭帶來特殊貢獻的人士，並不問其出身和國籍。每年的授勳儀式，通常會選在時任荷蘭君主的官方生日（目前為4月27日）舉辦。

該勳章在修法前，總計有五個級別和額外的榮譽獎章 (金、銀、銅級)。公元1996年修法後，廢除榮譽獎章以「成員級」勳章替代，自此勳章的級別固定為六個等級。(見表格)

此勳章為指揮官級，排名為奧蘭治-拿騷勳章的第三級。寬55mm綬帶上的橘色代表荷蘭皇室，兩側的藍色條紋則代表拿騷家族，上述顏色被一條狹窄的白色條紋區隔。作為領綬規格的指揮官級，男子以綬帶將勳章戴在脖子上，女子則以寬37mm的蝴蝶結，將勳章佩戴在衣服左側的胸部高度。

第二次世界大戰前，軍官級以上的綬章為金材質，戰爭結束後改為鍍金。至於騎士級和成員級則為銀材質。綬章外觀為一座上方懸掛皇冠的馬爾他十字，以白色琺瑯邊框環繞藍色琺瑯作彩繪。十字架的八個頂端各有一粒金珠作為裝飾。十字架周圍被月桂花環裝飾是民事版的特色。軍事版沒有月桂花環，而是增加斜交叉於圓盾背面的兩把金柄銀劍。皇冠底座依序鑲上白色、紅色跟綠色寶石裝飾。

綬章的中央有一個藍色琺瑯圓盾，周圍被白色琺瑯邊框環繞，並鑲有金框。圓盾的正面有一頭獅子，其形制跟國徽雷同。周圍的白色邊框，寫有格言「我將堅守」(JE MAINTIENDRAI)。圓盾的背面，在正中央有一個戴著皇冠的金色大寫W字樣，代表創建勳章的威廉明娜女王。周遭白色琺瑯邊框寫有格言「上帝與我同在」(GOD ZY MET UNS)。