Item number: M251

Year: AD 1897-1909

Material: Silver, Enamel

Size: 19.8 x 17.1 x 3.9 mm

Weight: 2.15 g

Provenance: La Galerie Numismatique 2024

Based on the style and form, this is identified as a Third Class, 3^rd Grade Second Edition Order of the Double Dragon, issued in the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1897). This miniature version of the medal was crafted by civilian artisans as an unofficial replica. At the time, many recipients would commission civilian jewellers to create reduced-size or miniature versions of their medals for ease of carrying or as substitutes when the official versions required repair.

Differences between the First Edition and Second Edition of the Order of the Double Dragon: From a memorial dated March 13, AD 1897, it is evident that there were two main issues with the Order of the Double Dragon at that time: first, the “design” did not truly embody the form of an “Order of the Double Dragon,” as it included rectangular, rhombus, sunflower, and circular shapes; second, it was inconvenient to wear due to its excessive weight. The two editions of the Order of the Double Dragon had no significant differences in terms of class and system, with only modifications and changes made to the design of the insignia.

The Second Edition of the Order of the Double Dragon from the Third Class onwards is awarded solely as an insignia with a cravat, without distinguishing between a Star and a Badge. The appearance of the insignia is as follows: the outermost starburst is made of silver, with radiating rays of varying lengths, forming an eight-pointed star.

The central motif predominantly features a blue enamel background, with two dragons encircling a central sun, which is adorned with a small red coral bead symbolising the sun. This sun is further enclosed by a blue enamel dodecagon, representing the dragon pearl. Between the tails of the dragons, there are designs of waves and mountains.

The internal inscription consists of both Manchu and Chinese characters, reading “ᡳᠯᠠᠨ ᠵᡝᡵᡤᡳ ᡳᠯᠠᠴᡳ” (Third Class, 3rd Grade) and “御賜雙龍寶星” (Imperially Bestowed the Order of the Double Dragon). This is encircled by a large blue glass centerpiece, surrounded by a blue enamel with an “M”-shaped pattern. As a neck badge, it features a cloud-shaped suspension ring and is paired with a blue ribbon edged in white.

However, as this particular Order of the Double Dragon is a civilian-crafted miniature version, the overall detailing is simpler. The details mentioned above are rendered using enamel, without incorporating other materials in the design. At the suspension ring, there is partial damage, and the official cloud pattern design has been simplified to a simple elongated hook. The ribbon may have been taken from the Egyptian Order of the Nile, with its colour being lighter and brighter compared to the official version.

The inception of Qing dynasty orders and decorations occurred after the First Opium War, as Europeans began to flock to China, rendering the traditional foreign policies inadequate for contemporary needs. Despite the establishment of the Zongli Yamen, an office dedicated to handling foreign affairs, cultural and ceremonial differences led to various conflicts and frictions. Faced with a significant number of foreigners employed in military, industrial, educational, and economic sectors in China, traditional Chinese rewards such as “top-rank insignia” or “imperial commendations” were insufficient to satisfy the foreigners. Therefore, in order to align with Western practises, the Qing dynasty created the system of orders and decorations.

In April of the 34th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1908), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved a memorial to extend the awarding of “the Order of the Double Dragon” beyond foreigners, to include Qing dynasty foreign affairs officials and emissaries sent abroad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs observed that the primary purpose of orders and decorations in Western countries was to honour their own nationals, whereas the Qing dynasty had done the opposite. During formal diplomatic occasions, foreigners would often wear formal attire adorned with all their awarded orders and decorations. However, Qing dynasty diplomats were frequently unable to wear their own national orders and decorations, having to wear only foreign ones instead. This reform was implemented to address this issue.

Due to the issuance of this Order of the Double Dragon in the late 19th century, a period of increased diplomatic activity for the Qing dynasty compared to the past, the second edition of the Order of the Double Dragon, issued in the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1897), saw significant production, distribution, and survival rates. As a result, it is the most commonly encountered version of the Order of the Double Dragon in modern collections.

The two versions of the Order of the Double Dragon have no significant differences in terms of class and system. The following table shows the correspondence between the levels of the Order of the Double Dragon and the recipients of the awards according to the regulations of the Order in the 7th year of Guangxu (AD 1881):

物件編號: M251

年代: 公元 1897-1909 年

材質: 銀, 珐瑯

尺寸: 19.8 x 17.1 x 3.9 mm

重量: 2.15 g

來源: 貨幣畫廊 2024

根據樣式與形態此為光緒23年（公元1897年）發行的三等第三級第二版雙龍寶星。這個迷你版的獎章為民間工匠自製的非官方獎章。在當時，許多獲獎者會委託民間的珠寶匠製作縮小或迷你版的獎章以便攜帶，或是作為官方版獎章修補時的替代品。

第一版與第二版雙龍寶星的差異：從光緒23年（公元1897年）3月13日的奏摺裡，可見當時寶星的兩個主要問題：第一為「版型」並為具備真正「寶星」的形式，因有長方形、菱花形、葵花行與圓形；第二則為佩戴不便，因為過於沈重。兩個版本的雙龍寶星在等級、制度基本上沒有太大的差異，只有寶星的樣式進行修改變動。

第二版的雙龍寶星從第三等開始全部都為領受式，只會頒發一枚綬章，不會有大寶星與副寶星的區別。寶星的外觀：從最外圍的星芒為銀質，以長短不一形式排列，呈現放射狀的八芒星。中間的圖案區主要以藍色珐瑯為底，兩條龍環繞，龍頭中間有顆太陽以圓形小顆紅色珊瑚裝飾，並用十二邊型的藍色琺瑯包圍，寓意龍珠；龍尾之間則有著海水與山形的圖樣。內部的銘文則為滿文與漢文「ᡳᠯᠠᠨ ᠵᡝᡵᡤᡳ ᡳᠯᠠᠴᡳ」（三品第三）和「御賜雙龍寶星」，最後以m型藍色琺瑯環繞中間的大顆藍色玻璃。由於是領綬式的寶星，以雲頭形的懸掛環連接，並搭配著藍色鑲白邊的領綬。

不過由於此枚雙龍寶星為民間自製迷你版，因此整體畫面細節呈現較簡單，並使用珐瑯勾勒出以上細節，沒有再用其他材質做設計。在懸掛環的地方有地方部分遺失，並簡化官方版雲頭紋的樣式僅以長型的掛勾連接。綬帶可能使用埃及尼羅河獎章綬帶，顏色相較於官方版的淺且亮。

清朝勳章的誕生，是在第一次鴉片戰爭後，歐洲人開始湧入清朝，傳統的對外政策已無法符合當時的需求。即便設立專門處理對外事務的「總理各國事務衙門」，仍因為習俗禮儀等落差，造成各種摩擦與碰撞。在面對大量聘用於清朝的軍工、教育、經濟等行業的外國人，傳統對中國人的「頂戴花鈴」或者「傳旨嘉獎」等方式，無法讓外國人滿足。因此為了與西方制度接軌，於是創造了清朝勳章寶星制度。

在光緒34年（公元1908年）4月經外務部奏准「雙龍寶星」今後的頒發不再僅限外國人，同時也頒發給清朝外務官員以及出洋各史。外務部認為西方各國設立的勳章，主要目的是頒發給本國人，然而清朝卻完全相反。在涉及外交正式場合時，外國人往往會穿著禮服，並佩戴自己獲得的所有勳章，然而清朝的外交官員，常無法配戴本國的勳章，只能配戴外國的勳章，因有此改革。

由於此寶星發行年間為19世紀末，清朝外交活動相較於過去又更加的頻繁。因此光緒23年（公元1897年）發行的第二版雙龍寶星，不論是在製作、頒發和存世的數量非常的多，也是現代收藏中最常見雙龍寶星的版本。

兩個版本的雙龍寶星在等級、制度基本上沒有太大的差異，下表為光緒7年（公元1881年）寶星章程等級對應頒發對象：