Please help to ID neck order

[Freiwillige]

Here's a portrait of a Romanian official pre-WW2 era. I'm not aware of his branch of service, but assume he could have been a diplomat.

Medal bar is very easy to identify - here we have Czech Order of the White Lion (Řad Bileho Lva), 2nd or 3rd class, Ordinul Coroana Romaniei in grad de Cavaler and Medalia Centenarul Regelui Carol I.

But neck award puzzles me a lot. According to one of my colleagues it looks like one of the grades of the Order of the Orthodox Crusaders of the Patriarchy of Jerusalem. Unfortunately I can't find anything on it in the web... I've got two links to images of breast star and miniature of that Order but nothing on neck award.

So the question is - what exactly that neck award is? I'll be very grateful if you could tell me more about this uniform and branch of service as well. Thanks in advance!

[Freiwillige]

Here's a close-up of a mysterious neck award.

[Kev in Deva]

Even if a Diplomat, but as a Romanian,

I find it strange that he wears the Czech

award first in the row of awards, when most

country's protocol dictates you wear your own

national awards first and foreign after.

As you state he is wearing the Romanian Order

of the Crown of Romania, Civil model on blue

and white ribbon.

And the Romanian Commemorative medal for Carol I.

Kevin in Deva. :beer:

Edited November 12, 2010 by Kev in Deva

[Freiwillige]

Yes, that's strange but who knows the reason why he did it...

Meanwhile I've got an info from my fellow collector that this person is most probably a Romanian military attache wearing gala uniform.

Any ideas on the neck award?

[Carol I]

The neck badge is that of the Order of the Orthodox Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. The order was established in the end of the 19th century and was awarded by the Patriarchy of Jerusalem approximately up to the 1940s and then again from the beginning of the 1980s.

[Freiwillige]

 

The neck badge is that of the Order of the Orthodox Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. The order was established in the end of the 19th century and was awarded by the Patriarchy of Jerusalem approximately up to the 1940s and then again from the beginning of the 1980s.

Many thanks for an answer! Could you please provide a weblink to read more that award? What grade is it by the way?

Any comments on the uniform? Do you agree he's a Romanian military attache?

[Carol I]

Even if a Diplomat, but as a Romanian, I find it strange that he wears the Czech award first in the row of awards, when most country's protocol dictates you wear your own national awards first and foreign after.

I think there is a protocol that states that at state visits or similar high profile events one should wear first the awards of the visiting state as a sign of courtesy.

Could you please provide a weblink to read more that award? What grade is it by the way?

Unfortunately I did not find a thorough description of the award, but it just came to me that one could ask more questions to the Patriarchy of Jerusalem.

I would guess that the badge in the photo is a commander's cross or equivalent. Here are two links to images of the star of the order.

http://www.emedals.ca/catalog.asp?item=G108

http://www.emedals.ca/catalog.asp?item=G115

Any comments on the uniform? Do you agree he's a Romanian military attache?

It could be a diplomat's uniform, but unfortunately I do not know that much about them to comment on this particular one. However, I doubt that the person was a military attache since his Order of the Crown of Romania was the version for civilians.

[Ulsterman]

I think it is safe to say it's definitely a diplomats' gala uniform. I was looking at stills from an UFA broadcast of Hungarian and Romanian diplomats at a reception for Goebbels and they are all wearing this high collar, "Napoleonic" style uniform.

Is there a name on the back? The Diplomatic Goethe might tell you who he is.

my understanding is that military attache's at embassies always wore their full dress uniforms.

[Freiwillige]

I think it is safe to say it's definitely a diplomats' gala uniform. I was looking at stills from an UFA broadcast of Hungarian and Romanian diplomats at a reception for Goebbels and they are all wearing this high collar, "Napoleonic" style uniform.

Is there a name on the back? The Diplomatic Goethe might tell you who he is. My understanding is that military attache's at embassies always wore their full dress uniforms.

Thanks for your comment! Unfortunately backside of the portrait is blank so it's impossible to identify this diplomat.

[Freiwillige]

Here's portrait of another Romanian diplomat. I have a huge collection of Romanian photos but only few diplomats.

[Carol I]

Here are two photos I have found on the net of Romanian diplomats wearing uniforms. They show the differences between diplomatic ranks.

The first one shows Nicolae Titulescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the General Assembly of the League of Nations, and and the second one WWII diplomat George Duca, at the beginning of his career.

http://www.roembus.org/english/romanian_links/history_of_romanians.htm

http://www.hoover.org/publications/hoover-digest/article/6198

[Freiwillige]

That means second portrait I provided denotes very high ranking diplomat  No possibility to identify him judging from appearance and awards? 

[Carol I]

That means second portrait I provided denotes very high ranking diplomat  No possibility to identify him judging from appearance and awards? 

It could be a full ambassador having served in Serbia/Yugoslavia and Poland(?). Could you post a better image of his awards?

[Freiwillige]

Here's a first close-up of the medal bar from the previous photo.

[Freiwillige]

Close-up # 2. Breast star of the Ordinul Coroana Romaniei.

[Freiwillige]

Close-up # 3.

[Freiwillige]

Forgot to add that portrait was made in 1938 in Romania.

[Carol I]

Here's a first close-up of the medal bar from the previous photo.

Neck badge 1: Commander of the Order of the Crown of Romania (type II)

Neck badge 2: Order of Polonia Restituta (Poland)

Medal bar

1. Order of the Crown of Romania with swords and Military Virtue ribbon (knight's cross)

2. Order of the Crown of Romania (officer's cross)

3. Cross of the Ruling House (?)

4. Sanitary Merit Cross

5. 1913 Campaign Medal

6. WWI Commemorative Cross

7. WWI Victory Medal

8. Order of the Crown of Italy (officer's cross)

9. Order of the White Eagle (Serbia)

10. ?

Close-ups 2 and 3 indicate rather a Grand Cross of the Serbian Order of St. Sava.

[Freiwillige]

Many thanks for your quick response! Any ideas on the personality of this diplomat?

[Carol I]

Any ideas on the personality of this diplomat?

No, sorry.

[Freiwillige]

 

10. ?

I assume it could be Serbian Commemorative medal of accession of King Peter I Karageorgevic (1903).

[Ulsterman]

Ah! The Order of Polish Restoration should make him easy to identify!!!

my money is on A. Florescuo C. Iaptew.

[Freiwillige]

 

Ah! The Order of Polish Restoration should make him easy to identify!!!  my money is on A. Florescuo  C. Iaptew.

Could you please post more details about that person?

[922F]

Grand Cross is not Romanian Crown but rather Serb/Yugoslav St. Sava

[Carol I]

Ah! The Order of Polish Restoration should make him easy to identify!!!

my money is on A. Florescuo C. Iaptew.

I do not know how you found it, but Alexandru G. Florescu was indeed the first Romanian ambassador to Poland, between 1919-1924: http://www.consul-romania.pl/cd/85.html Maybe our Polish colleagues can help with a translation if necessary.

His house housed the Goethe Institut in Bucharest until recently: http://bucurestiinoisivechi.blogspot.com/2010/04/casa-alexandru-florescu-arhitect-ion-d.html