Item number: M63

Year: ND

Material: Leather and silk

Size: case 70.80 x 92.69 / ribbon 44.04 x 1000 mm

Weight: 28.67 g

Provenance: Spink 2022

This medal box is made of red leather and features the golden Russian Imperial double-headed eagle coat of arms on the obverse. Inside the box lid, there is an ornate Russian letter ‘Я’ (pronounced ‘ya’) in cursive. The original Second Class Order of St. Stanislaus Order inside the box is missing, and only the red ribbon with double white edges remains. The Second Class Order of St. Stanislaus was originally worn with the ribbon suspended at the collar. Initially, similar to the First Class medal, recipients of the Second Class medal could wear an eight-pointed star on the left side of the chest. However, after a law amendment in 1839, the star for the Second Class was abolished.(See Table)

It is noteworthy that the abbreviation “SS” on both sides of Order represents the Catholic Saint Stanislaus, providing insight into the recipient’s Christian faith. In cases where the awardee follows a different religion, the decoration is substituted with the black double-headed eagle, symbolizing the empire. As Saint Stanislaus is a Catholic saint, this decoration is not conferred upon Eastern Orthodox clergy.

The Order of Saint Stanislaus can be considered as one of the most complex and intricate decorations in Russian history. This Order did not originate in Russia but was established in AD 1765 by Stanisław August Poniatowski, the ruler of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at that time. It was created in honor of the 11th-century Polish Catholic saint of the same name, Stanisław. The decoration features a red enamel cross with enamel covering only one side. Four Polish eagles are set between the arms of the cross, and the obverse of the order depicts the image of Saint Stanislaus, with the abbreviation “SS” representing the saint’s name on the sides.

In AD 1815, with the annexation of Poland by the Russian Empire and the dual role of the Russian Tsar Alexander I as the King of Poland, the Order of Saint Stanislaus was preserved according to the constitution of the Kingdom of Poland. Additionally, it was expanded to include four classes. Initially, the order was conferred only on Polish residents. However, after the failure of the November Uprising in AD 1831, when Poland came fully under Russian rule, Tsar Nicholas I incorporated the order into the Russian system. Consequently, the Saint Stanislaus Order transformed into a Russian decoration, and its appearance changed. The Polish eagles were replaced by the double-headed eagle symbolizing the Tsar, and the image of Saint Stanislaus on the obverse disappeared, leaving only the initials on both sides.

In AD 1839, with the abolition of the fourth class, the Order of Saint Stanislaus, third class, became the lowest-ranking Order in the Russian Empire. It was even awarded to individuals such as regional school teachers or private tutors with fifteen years of service. For instance, the renowned playwright Anton Chekhov received the third class of the Order of Saint Stanislaus for his “outstanding enthusiasm and special work as a trustee of the Tarasov rural school.” From 1815 to 1917, the third class of the order was awarded nearly 750,000 times. During the reign of the last Tsar, Nicholas II, from AD 1903 to 1911, the annual number of awards reached an astonishing 5,300 to 15,750 medals.

After the February Revolution in AD 1917, following the fall of the Russian Empire, the Order of Saint Stanislaus continued as one of the few remaining old reward systems retained by the Provisional Government. However, the suspended crown on top of the double-headed eagle was removed, and due to wartime resource shortages, the order was manufactured using a gold-plating technique. Interestingly, after the rise of the Soviet regime and the assassination of the last imperial family, the Romanovs continued to confer this order while in exile in the West.

Since the AD 1970s, there has been a proliferation of “self-proclaimed Orders of knighthood”awarding this order. However, authoritative bodies such as the “Burke’s World Orders of Knighthood and Merit” and the “The International Commission for Orders of Chivalry” affirm that only the Polish government and the Romanov family have the legitimate authority to confer this Order.

In the AD 1990s, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the establishment of the “H.I.H. Chancellery of the Regular Grand Ducal House of Russia” by the Romanov family, the head of the family, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, conferred the Order of Saint Stanislaus more frequently than her predecessors. As of AD 2012, there were approximately 150 knights of various ranks, mostly Russians, with very few foreign recipients.

物件編號: M63

年代: 未知

材質: 皮革, 絲綢

尺寸: 盒 70.80 x 92.69 / 綬帶 44.04 x 1000 mm

重量: 28.67 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2022

此紅色皮革材質，正面繪有一金色俄羅斯帝國雙頭鷹國徽的勳章盒，盒蓋內印有一個俄文「Я」花體字。原先盒內擺放的二級聖斯坦尼勳章已消失，僅保有一條雙白邊框的紅色綬帶。二級聖斯坦尼勳章的配帶方式，為領綬懸掛於領口處。起先比照一級勳章，二級勳章的受勳者能在左胸配帶一枚八芒的星章。但公元1839年修法後，二級便取消星章的頒放。(見下圖)

值得注意的是，從勳章兩面的天主教聖徒斯坦尼斯勞斯「SS」（St. Stanislaus）縮寫，能一探獲獎者的信仰為基督宗教。若獲獎者為其他宗教，其裝飾以象徵帝國的黑雙頭鷹替代。由於聖徒斯坦尼斯勞斯為天主教聖徒，為此該勳章不會授予東正教神職人員。

聖斯坦尼勳章可以稱作是俄羅斯歷史上，身世最為複雜曲折的勳章。該勳章並非發源於俄羅斯，而是公元1765年，由時任波蘭立陶宛聯邦的統治者，斯坦尼斯瓦夫二世·奧古斯特，以紀念同名的11世紀波蘭天主教聖人—斯坦尼斯勞斯(Stanisław) 之名設立的新勳章。勳章為紅色琺瑯十字架，僅一側覆蓋有紅色琺瑯。十字架的雙臂之間鑲有四隻波蘭鷹，勳章正面繪有聖斯坦尼斯勞斯的圖像，兩側則有聖徒的名字縮寫「SS」。

公元1815年，隨著俄羅斯帝國將波蘭納為保護國，兼任波蘭國王的沙皇亞歷山大一世在波蘭王國憲法裡，宣布保留聖斯坦尼勳章，並且擴增為四個階級。起初該勳章僅授予波蘭居民，直到公元1831年反抗俄國的十一月起義失敗，波蘭完全被納入俄國的統治，時任沙皇的尼古拉一世將該勳章納入俄羅斯的體系。自此成為俄羅斯勳章的聖斯坦尼勳章，其外觀發生變化，波蘭鷹被象徵沙皇的雙頭鷹取代，正面的聖斯坦尼斯勞斯圖像消失，僅保留其兩面的名字縮寫。

公元1839年隨著四級勳章的廢除，三級聖斯坦尼勳章便成為俄羅斯帝國級別最低的勳章，連地區學校的老師或服務達十五年的家庭教師皆有獲頒的資格。例如，知名的戲劇家安東·契訶夫就因「擔任塔列日鄉村學校理事的出色熱情和特殊工作」獲頒過一枚三級聖斯坦尼勳章。自公元1815至1917年間，三級勳章被頒發近75萬次。到了末代沙皇尼古拉二世時期，公元1903到1911年間，年度頒發量來到驚人的5,300到15,750枚。

公元1917年爆發二月革命後，該勳章是臨時政府保留的少數舊獎勵制度，唯有雙頭鷹上頭的皇冠裝飾被取消。並且礙於戰時的資源匱乏，改為鍍金工法打造。有意思的是，蘇聯政權的興起及末代沙皇一家遭到殺害後，流亡西方的羅曼諾夫皇室家族仍持續在頒發該勳章。而70年代以來，出現大量「自封的騎士團」冒名頒發該勳章，但權威機關「伯克貴族有限公司」和「國際騎士團委員會」認定，唯有波蘭政府和羅曼諾夫家族有頒發該勳章的權力。

上世紀90年代，蘇聯解體和羅曼諾夫家族成立自號俄羅斯帝國的「H.I.H. 常規總理府」後，家族掌門人瑪麗亞·弗拉基米羅芙娜大公夫人比起前任更頻繁地授予聖斯坦尼勳章。截至公元2012 年，各級別的聖斯坦尼騎士大約有 150 名，幾乎全是俄羅斯人，外國獲獎者則十分罕見。