Featured Help me to identification order

Halas... No
But I can say the ribbon isn't one of an order, they are moire silk, never seen any plain threaded gold, and agree it is rather a trim ribbon.

 

Maybe a replacement from someone's sewing box.

 

Is this the figure you are thinking of;


if so, it could be Charlemagne;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne_(disambiguation)

 

It isn't, but just to be sure I looked into an order of Charlemagne. There is a recently instituted one in Andorra, but that is different and has a profile view of Charlemagne.

 

Is it gold, solid gold? You have not told us this before. Without marks, how was the type & quality of the metal determined?

The emedals.com site seemed like a good starter reference, so took a look at their 99 examples of the Legion d'Honneur medals. Did not look closely at every single one, focused on the oldest I could find. Napoleon started it in 1802, so particularly examined medals for 1806 & 1804, earliest I could spot. Every one I looked at is different on the front than on the back; most have a medallion of Napoleon at the center; none use enamel in the center; none are constructed like this, with 2 round medals sandwiching the star. Whatever this is, it's not what the seller represented it as.

 

Good afternoon. The jeweler identified the gold 750 (18 K), saw the mark on the ring. Please note the medallion, I think that wears a blindfold. Maybe it's the goddess Themis?Thanks to all Rashit.

 

Hello Rashit, it does look like a blindfold, but it also looks like the eyes are showing. A headscarf maybe? I would expect Themis to have a set of scales and a sword.

 

OK, so piece is modern enough to be marked. (Using 'modern' to mean just post-Renaissance.)
It is no cheap copy of something.

Not clear to me whether we are seeing the complete hands & anything that might have been in them. To me the position of hands/arms looks like figure should be holding something, but not necessarily. If scales & sword, imagine artisan was thinking 'La Justice' rather than ‘La Témis’.

However, as AJ said, eyes are not covered. I still think it is a crown, maybe with some hair showing on the brow. Was comparing heads on each side & thought at first that they were a little different from one another & not molded. Reconsidered, I think now that there is a little bit of damage to the hair, gold missing, from both, making them look not the same.

Kept going back & forth comparing little details of the sleeves & robe. Despite crude modeling, they have been cast from a mold. I can only think the mold was taken from something much older, not original for this piece.

I know only a little about the numismatics world, & that about coins, not medals. I do know a fair bit about the world of glyptics (engraved gems). One thing I know about both is that great age adds significant value for collectors, beyond the value of the materials & workmanship. The market is flooded with 'Imperial Roman' rings, made from gold cast from a mold taken from a genuine antiquity & set with an engraved gem copied from, or in the style of, the antique. (The bottom fell out of the engraved gem market in the 19th century due to the flood of fakes.)

I think you have to consider that possibility here. The star part is consistent with 19th century work. The enamel is a Renaissance touch. The figure resembles many shown on this Pinterest board of medieval medals. Could be a high quality fraud.

 

Nice photo's !!!
I'm liking it better now....even though it's still unknown..

 

Good evening. Looked pinterest board medieval-seals and think you are right. For me this is a new and interesting topic. Maybe this order is not French, but made by the French jewellers , because they did order Spain, Holland, Naples and others.

 

Good evening. I'm guessing that the Spanish order of Queen Maria Luisa, made in France. The medallion depicts Saint Fernando III of Castile. The picture St. Fernando lll (1217-1252) and Pin his son Alfonso X de Castilla (1252-1284). With respect Rashit.

 

This seems like it will be a more fruitful path to pursue. We will all be interested in anything more you are able to find.

 

I'm not seeing a crown, sword, or ball.....but good luck searching...

 

According to IM Translator: On the back there will be a spreading eagle, purple in color, in an attitude of looking towards the upper right, bathed in gold rays, which appear to come from that same direction; the claws will rest on a world of the color of the sea. Around it will carry, in black letters, the legend ALTIORA PETO. This one & other versions are shown on this site. They date from 1939 & after.

 

Rashit, I think the search will have to go on.
I found this for the 'Réal Orden de María Luisa', or Royal Order of Maria Luisa, instituted in 1792:


They are all purple and white enamel, no red in the cross, and Ferdinand is standing, not sitting down.

 

I asked a French colleague and he says it is French.
Here is his message, not sure how to translate certain words, so here it is in French;
"Salut Kristiaan,
c'est une médaille de chapitre (religieuse).
Elle est ancienne, vers 1820/1850...
Après quel diocèse....???
Belle pièce, elle doit être en or.
Amicalement.
Jerome."
In great line he says it must be in gold, dating from 1820/1850, but religious.
In a other message he says also the ribbon is not the original.

 

Chapitre is French for chapter, a religious order or church administrative organisation. Diocèse is diocese, again a church administrative organisation, of a certain locality.

 

Bravo Kristiaan, and BRAVO JEROME

 

Well, still leaves us with no name.
But I just posted it on a medal forum, I hope the guy's know....

 

Believe religieuse can also be a nun? But doubt this has a convent connection. You could work your way through this list. Figure on medal could be monarch who paid to build the house. Anyone know offhand whether any religious orders were founded by a king/saint?

I'm still bothered by its being the same on both sides. Haven't seen this on any other medal yet. Also by the lack of any wording & the way the hands have been cut off.