Jump to content
News Ticker
  • I am now accepting the following payment methods: Card Payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal
  • Latest News

    The Order of Rank and Merit: Its Origins, Classes and Recipients


    JapanX

    Recommended Posts

    • Replies 104
    • Created
    • Last Reply

    Top Posters In This Topic

    When is your book coming out?

    I'll let you know :lol:

    http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_05_2012/post-3065-0-08883700-1337107829.jpgHere is my medal for you.

    Gee!

    That's a nice medal!

    Order of Nobility ....

    Thank you my friend!

    Regards,

    Nick

    Edited by JapanX
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    What a wonderful thread, Nick! Well done and thank you!

    Everyone who was anyone received the Order of Merit. Yet these come up very very rarely at auction. In fact, only once in the last four years I believe (UBS Tammann Collection 2008).

    I can never spend too much time looking at Warlord photos with their egret plumed kepis, big gold epaulettes and bling. They certainly had style in those days.

    Gavin

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Great stuff, Nick! Now, what happened to the pearls?

    We could only guess ...

    The grandson of Xiong Bingkun donated his grandfather order to Hubei Provincial Museum about 10 yeas ago in the very same condition.

    Maybe family used this pearls during hard times?

    Or maybe they were lost when children played with the order...

    There are many different possibilities.

    Edited by JapanX
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I can never spend too much time looking at Warlord photos with their egret plumed kepis, big gold epaulettes and bling. They certainly had style in those days.

    In this case you gonna like this gentleman ;)

    Please welcome General Johann Wilhelm Normann Munthe the man who actually designed this uniform for Yuan Shikai army.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Johann Wilhelm Normann Munthe (1864–1935) was born in Bergen, Norway.

    After a military education in the cavalry, he emigrated to China in 1887, and started working as a customs officer.

    He enlisted in the Chinese army in the war against Japan (1895–96), and remained as a cavalry instructor under general Yuan Shikai. Johann Munthe's association with Yuan Shikai proved advantageous, and he advanced in rank to lieutenant general and advisor to the Ministry of War; according to his own words, he was the first foreigner to achieve such a prestigious position.

    General Munthe was an avid collector of Chinese works of arts, and his collection includes porcelain, paintings, costumes, and statues in bronze and marble. The collection now resides with the Vestlandske Kunstindustrimuseum.

    General Munthe was the stepfather of Sir Alexander Grantham, Governor of Hong Kong from 1947 to 1957.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Unreal photo from his days in China (he marked by red oval)

    Most likely this photo was made right after Boxer Rebellion in 1900 or 1901.

    By the way, for his services during Boxer Rebellion he was awarded with 4th class St.George order!!!

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 2 weeks later...
    • 2 months later...

    Nick, I was going through this wonderful thread again.

    The Order of Merit is very rare. However, given the fact it was awarded in more than a handful of numbers, it doesn't explain why these don't appear more often at auction.

    My guess is that most of these insignia would have been destroyed during the Japanese invasions / Civil War / Communist era / Cultural Revolution.

    And few if any were given to foreigners so we hardly see any outside China unlike say the 1st / 2nd Class Order of the Precious Golden Grain.

    Gavin

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The Order of Merit is very rare. However, given the fact it was awarded in more than a handful of numbers, it doesn't explain why these don't appear more often at auction.

    Indeed.

    These are very rare.

    "Handful of numbers"...

    Hmmm...

    I am not sure about that ;)

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 2 weeks later...
    • 5 weeks later...

    Hey Nick, I was marvelling at these photos again.

    Do you know the name of this chap in post #34, photo 22? He looks like Mr Creosote squeezed into the uniform of a Chinese warlord!

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now



    ×
    ×
    • Create New...

    Important Information

    We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.