Item number: M254

Year: AD 1860-1900

Material: Silver

Size: 81.1 x 28.7 x 1.8 mm

Weight: 12.55 g

Provenance: Beaussant Lefevre 2022

This is a silver Medal of Merit, re-strike in the late 19th to early 20th century. In France, this medal is known as the “Medal of Tai-Ping,” reflecting its association with the Taiping Rebellion. The Medal of Merit comes in gold and silver, and this piece is made of silver.

The medal is designed in the style of traditional Chinese coins, featuring a circular shape with a square hole in the centre. The surface is covered with numerous small raised granules. The obverse of the medal depicts two Chinese dragons symmetrically facing each other and gazing at a dragon pearl, representing the traditional Chinese auspicious motif “Dragons Playing With a Pearl”. The reverse side bears the Chinese characters “獎武功牌” (Medal of Merit). Interestingly, the inscription is rotated 90 degrees to the right, indicating that the medal was made by foreigners who were not familiar with the Chinese language, resulting in this notable error.

The medal features a suspension, designed in the shape of a laurel leaf curve. The suspension and the clasp on the yellow ribbon is similar in design to contemporary British medals, suggesting that it may have been produced by a British jeweller. Interestingly, however, most of the recipients of this medal were French.

In the 10th year of the Xianfeng era (AD 1860), the Taiping Rebellion, which had swept across southern China for a decade and established its capital in Nanjing, launched an offencive against Shanghai, where foreign concessions were located. In response to the formidable Taiping forces, foreign volunteers formed the “Ever Victorious Army” to assist the Qing army in combat. As the Huai Army, led by Li Hongzhang, and the Xiang Army, led by Zuo Zongtang, began their counteroffensive, foreign individuals further contributed as advisors, training the troops or even fighting on the front lines.

Many foreign individuals distinguished themselves in battle and even sacrificed their lives. In response, the Qing government began to take notice of the need to reward these foreign contributors. In addition to the traditional rewards such as the feather plume, the yellow riding jacket, and paper certificates of merit, the Qing government started to consider adopting Western-style medals, like those in Europe. This ultimately led to the creation of the Qing Empire’s first Western-style medal, the “Order of the button.”

The Medal of Military Merit is not documented in official records of the Qing government. The most reasonable speculation is that foreign nationals, having received verification of their achievements from the Qing court in the form of paper certificates, commissioned European jewellers to design and manufacture the medal. The appearance of this medal is noted in the early 20th century on trading cards from the renowned French chocolate firm Guérin-Boutron’s series of medals. The card featuring the Medal of Military Merit is referred to as the Order of the Dragon, embellished with an imagined scene of an audience with the Chinese emperor.

物件編號: M254

年代: 公元 1860-1900 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 81.1 x 28.7 x 1.8 mm

重量: 12.55 g

來源: 博桑李費佛拍賣行 2022

這是一枚公元19世紀末至公元20世紀初，重新鑄造的獎武功牌。獎武功牌分為金銀兩種材質，本物件為銀質。在法國這枚獎章被稱作「太平獎章」，反映其和太平天國之亂的關聯。

獎章外觀為臨摹中國錢幣的「圓形方孔」造型，表面有許多細小的顆粒凸起。獎章正面有左右對稱，相望著龍珠的兩隻中國飛龍，為中國傳統吉祥圖案「雙龍戲珠」。獎章背面則打印中文「獎武功牌」四字，有趣的是，背面的文字呈現向右旋轉90度。反映這枚獎章是由不懂中文的外國人製作，方才犯下這麼明顯的錯誤。

獎章上方是設計為月桂葉曲線造型的懸掛。懸掛和黃色綬帶上的銘條，其造型跟同時代的英國獎章雷同，反映這枚獎章可能是交由英國珠寶行製作。但有趣的是，受獎者的國籍以法國人居多。

咸豐10年 (公元1860年)，席捲華南地區長達十年和定都於南京的太平天國叛軍，向擁有外國租界的上海展開攻勢。面對來勢洶洶的太平軍，外籍志願者組成「常勝軍」協助清軍作戰。當李鴻章和左宗棠為首的淮軍與湘軍展開反攻後，外籍人士更以顧問身分投入訓練或親赴前線作戰。

不少外籍人士立下戰功甚至犧牲生命。清政府面對這樣的情況，開始注意到給予外國人的犒賞制度。贈與傳統的花翎、黃馬褂和紙本功牌之外，清政府開始研議效仿歐洲的西式獎章，最後誕生清帝國第一款西式「寶星獎章」。

獎武功牌並未記載於清政府的官方紀錄中，最為合理的推測是，外籍人士獲得清廷驗證的紙本功牌後，返國委託歐洲的珠寶商設計和製造。這枚獎章的身影出現在公元20世紀初，知名法國巧克力商Guérin-Boutron的獎章系列貿易卡。卡片中的獎武功牌被稱作「Ordre du Dragon」(龍之勳章)，並且飾以謁見中國皇帝的想像場景。