laurentius

So he is one of the rare Prussians who got the Iron Cross, the Pour Le Merite but not the HoH? seems a bit weird, you usually see that more with non-Prussians like Erwin Rommel. Kind regards, Laurentius

He must have thought the sky was the limit, just look at the White Falcon, he was preparing for something grand.

That would make for a nice addition to the mistakes in wear thread. Lovely picture overall. Kind regards, Laurentius

I concur, followed by a Kronenorden and a Friedrichsorden. A fine bar, would make for a nice result

Possible, but I don't think so. Schaetzell is shown to be a Rechtsritter since 1854, whilst my guy is an Ehrenritter. Did you find this information in the Sachsen-Anhalt Staatsbuch? On a unrelated note, my guy looks a bit like Otto von Bismarck, who was also an Ehrenritter, although he did have a tendency to wear the little white cross on his jacket too. Kind regards, Laurentius In this piece about an ironforge in the Harz area describes Schaetzell as a 'Staatsminister', just as you said. Wouldn't a staatsminister have more than 'just' a Johanniter-Orden? http://webdoc.sub.gwdg.de/ebook/ga/2002/pub/kunst/01H313/prom.pdf

Dear fellow collectors, I recently won this painting at an auction. I received it last week, send it out to a restorer for a new frame (quite the hassle with an octagon-shaped painting) and now it's finished and hanging on the wall. A lovely portrait of a Johanniter Ehrenritter. Given the type of clothing and the manner of painting I would place this painting between 1860 and 1880. On the back of the frame is written 'Ballenstedt' with a blue pencil. Could this be a clue about the identity of the owner? Ballenstedt is a German last name but also the name of a town in Saxony-Anhalt. I am aware most members of the Prussian Order of St. John are not written down in lists but I wondered if anyone could take a look for the name Ballenstedt? He has no other decorations so anyone named Ballenstedt in the list with additional bling can be quickly discarded as the possible painted person. I know it's a long shot and that we probably won't end up with a identification but I'm greatful for all the help I get. Kind regards and thanks in advance, Laurentius

That is his son Sir Colin Richard Keppel, we are looking for the decorations of Sir Henry Keppel. Graf has used both the names Henry and Colin in his first reaction, giving rise to the misunderstanding. Sir Henry Keppel died in 1904. His son became an admiral in 1908 and received the Swedish Order of the Sword that year. Kind regards, Laurentius

It is, since I wasn't fast enough.... pity.

Number four is the Prussian service decoration (PDA). Number eight is the Württembergian Order of the Crown (WK3). Number ten could be anything as long as it is wartime related. At first I thought it was the Hessian medal for bravery (given it's position next to the HP4x) but this seems inpausible given the colour of the ribbon. Kind regards, Laurentius

A RAO, either fourth or third class and a French Legion D'Honneur. A Legion of Honour is not an uncommon decoration for someone working in a scientific field like botany. Kind regards, Laurentius

No, researching the owner of this bar won't be possible. Researching is a minute science which requires hours of work in the hopes (often in vain) of finding a name. Given the large amount of missing awards I doubt an identification is possible. If we were to 'fill in' the blanks any name we could come up with would be impossible to confirm. A great bar, but it won't get a name. Kind regards, Laurentius

In a different thread I talked about removing the ring of taller decorations to fit them on medalbars. I have observed this practice with the Saxe-Ernestine House-Order and the Bulgarian Order of Bravery. Given the size of the Order of the White Falcon this might have happened here too, so I would advice making two cardboard mock-ups, one with and one without the ring. Ofcourse when refurbishing this medalbar I would advice against removing rings, unless you happened to find a ringless example. Kind regards, Laurentius

Despite the suggestions made by other members I reiterate my opinion that the third decoration on the red ribbon should be the Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Order of the White Falcon. The silver merit cross of this order could be placed there as well, as was recommended by another member, however given the other decorations I find this to be a most unlikely combination. Given the primary connection to Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach I would think of a Saxe-Ernestine House-Order in place four followed by one or two Hanseatic crosses. This is all guesswork, other members and I recommend decorations based on what we think likely in combination with the orders/ribbons present. My thoughts could be completely right or completely wrong. One thing is certain, all the missing decorations between place two and place six are German state decoration. This limits it down, but still gives us a wide range. Kind regards, Laurentius

Why strip the ribbons and ruin what's left of a great bar? Seems unwise to say the least.

He is, and I quite agree. I believe the missing part of the medalbar to be all imperial. I highly doubt that a soldier/NCO would get so many different German and foreign orders. Must have been some special guy, connected to the Red Cross. Kind regards, Laurentius