Item number: M41

Year: AD 1896-1917

Material: Gold and Enamel

Size: order 43.88 x 43.88 / ribbon 84.51 x 31.82 mm

Weight: 14.41 g

Manufactured by: Saint Petersburg

Provenance: Spink 2022

This is a Third Class Order of Saint Stanislaus, awarded to civilians and lacking the sabre embellishment. The order comprises three classes, and typically, the Third Class should be worn on the left side of the chest with a ribbon featuring a red centre bordered by white edges.

However, this particular item uses the ribbon of another order, the Order of Saint Anne, characterised by a red centre bordered with yellow. Additionally, in terms of craftsmanship, the initials of the saint, “SS”, are embossed and adorned with gilt edges on both sides. Unusually, the reverse of the cross, which should traditionally display its gold appearance, is adorned with red enamel to match the front. This unique feature distinguishes this specific decoration.

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 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 front 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 conferred on 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 crown decoration 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: M41

年代: 公元 1896-1917 年

材料: 黃金, 琺瑯

尺寸: order 43.88 x 43.88 / ribbon 84.51 x 31.82 mm

重量: 14.41 g

製造地: 聖彼得堡

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2022

該勳章為授予民事人員，不帶有佩劍裝飾的三級聖斯坦尼勳章。勳章共有三個等級，理當三級勳章該以一條雙白邊框的紅色綬帶，胸綬方式佩戴於左胸前。

然而，該物件使用另一款聖安妮勳章的黃邊框紅色綬帶。並且在工藝上，兩面的聖徒名字縮寫「SS」以浮雕和金邊作裝飾。本該呈現金質原貌的十字架背面，則比照正面增添紅色琺瑯為彩繪，即為該勳章的特殊之處。

值得注意的是，從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。

聖斯坦尼斯勳章可被視為俄羅斯歷史上最複雜且精緻的勳章之一。這個勳章並非起源於俄羅斯，而是由當時波蘭立陶宛聯邦的統治者斯坦尼斯瓦夫·奧古斯特·波尼亞托夫斯基於1765年設立。它是為了紀念11世紀波蘭天主教聖人斯坦尼斯瓦夫而創立的。這個勳章呈現紅色琺瑯十字架，僅一面有琺瑯。在十字架的臂之間設有四隻波蘭雄鷹，而勳章的正面則展示了聖斯坦尼斯瓦夫的像，側面則以縮寫“SS”代表聖人的名字。

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。

自1970年代以來，許多“自稱的騎士勳章團體”開始頒發這個勳章。然而，像“伯克爵士世界騎士和功勳勳章”及“國際騎士團勳章委員會”等權威機構明確指出，僅波蘭政府和羅曼諾夫家族有合法權威授予這個勳章。

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。