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The Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal
(Miniature), Navy Type
海軍版東京遠征紀念獎章
(迷你版)
Item number: M303
Year: AD 1885
Material: Silver
Size: 43.0 x 13.2 x 0.7 mm
Weight: 1.9 g
Provenance: Studio Faleristico s.a.s. Milano 2024
This object is a miniature version of the silver “Tonkin Expedition Commemorative Medal” (French: Médaille commémorative de l’expédition du Tonkin), awarded by the French government on September 6, AD 1885. This medal comes in two variants corresponding to the branch of military service: the Army and the Navy, with this particular object being the Navy version.
The medal is circular in shape, crafted from silver. The perimeter of its obverse is adorned with a laurel wreath, at the centre of which is a profile portrait of Marianne, the national symbol of the French Republic. The helmet visor of the portrait is inscribed with the french word “PATRIE” (Homeland). The inscription on either side of the portrait reads “RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE” (French Republic).
This miniature version, commissioned from a jeweller, omits the detail of the engraver’s name, “Daniel Dupuis,” on Marianne’s shoulder on the obverse.
The reverse of the medal is decorated with a laurel wreath and a solid circular band. Inside the circular band, from top to bottom, the naval battles are listed in sequence. The navy section features seven place names, while the army section lists six:
Gia Lâm (Vietnam) GAU-GIAÏ
Sơn Tây (Vietnam) SONTAY
Bắc Ninh (Vietnam) BAC-NINH
Fuzhou FOU-TCHÉOU
Taiwan FORMOSE
Tuyên Quang (Vietnam) TUYEN-QUAN
Penghu PESCADORES
Compared to the Navy version, the Army version omitted the geographical name “Gia Lâm (Vietnam)” (French: GAU-GIAÏ), due to the deaths of two French officers (Henri Rivière and Francis Garnier) at this location. Around the circumference of the ring, the words “Tonkin (Vietnam) China Annam 1883-1885” (French: TONKIN CHINE ANNAM) are inscribed in sequence. The ribbon is coloured in alternating yellow and green.
This miniature version, unlike any other miniatures or reduced-size medals in the Legends Museum collection, features the “Horn of Plenty” hallmark of the Paris Mint on its reverse. This suggests that the miniature medal was likely struck and retailed by the Paris Mint. Initially, it was thought that it might have been produced by a manufacturer unaware that the “Horn of Plenty” is the hallmark of the Paris Mint and had therefore replicated it on the miniature. According to industry standards in jewelry, original mint marks should be removed to avoid misinterpretation.
However, copyright laws with penalties for transgressors would have applied to any medal makers producing full-size or miniature copies that retained the ‘Cornucopia’ (Horn of Plenty) mark, which is exclusive to officially minted Paris Mint medals. Thus, the conclusion is that this miniature medal was more likely struck and retailed by the Paris Mint, rather than being an error by uninformed private makers.
The Tonkin Expedition Commemorative Medal was initially issued pursuant to a law dated September 6, AD 1885, minted at the Paris Mint, and awarded on July 14, AD 1886, to soldiers who participated in the Tonkin Expedition and the Sino-French War between AD 1883 and AD 1885, with a total of approximately 65,000 recipients.
In AD 1887, the law was amended to additionally award this medal to soldiers and sailors who had participated in operations in the North, Annam, Cambodia, Siam, and the upper Mekong River from AD 1885 to AD 1893, as well as to the rare survivors who served under Francis Garnier and Henri Rivière between AD 1873 and AD 1882, bringing the total number of recipients to 97,300.
Tonkin: Tonkin is a geographical name located in the northern part of the Red River Delta in Vietnam, historically part of the Later Lê Dynasty before being designated as the Tonkin Protectorate by France. During the Later Lê Dynasty, Tonkin was referred to as “Tang Ngoai,” denoting the northern region of the Red River Delta, known as Hanoi at the time. With the outbreak of the Zheng-Ruan conflict, Westerners began using the term “Tonkin” to refer to the territory under Zheng’s rule, contrasting it with “Cochinchina,” which referred to territories under Ruan’s rule in the south. Despite Vietnam’s unification in AD 1802, both terms continued to be used, signifying the northern and southern regions of Vietnam respectively.
However, with the outbreak of the Sino-French War, France established the Tonkin Protectorate in Tonkin in AD 1885, according to the Second Treaty of Hue, governing separately from the protectorate of Annam. During this period, Tonkin served as the administrative centre of French rule in northern Vietnam. Nevertheless, following the failure of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, France lost control of Tonkin. After the expulsion of French colonial forces by the Vietnamese people, the name Tonkin gradually faded into obscurity and ceased to be used.
物件編號: M303
年代: 公元 1885 年
材質: 銀
尺寸: 43.0 x 13.2 x 0.7 mm
重量: 1.9 g
來源: 米蘭獎章工作室 2024
此物件為公元1885年9月6日,法國政府授予之銀質「東京遠征紀念獎章」(法文:Médaille commémorative de l’expédition du Tonkin)的迷你版。此獎章依照軍種的差異,有「陸軍」和「海軍」兩種版別,該物件為「海軍」版本。