Order of the Precious Crown

[Markus]

Lot 890 in Swiss Auction

Order of the Precious Crown

Find similar lotsStarting Price: 40000 CHF

Minimum bid: 40000 CHF

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JAPAN.

Victoria Eugénie Julia (1887-1969) nicknamed Ena, Queen of Spain from 1906 to 1931 and wife of King Alfonso XIII, was the grand-daughter of Queen Victoria and the niece of King Edouard VII. Exiled to Rome on april 14th, 1931, she moved to Lausanne where she died in 1969. While first buried in the church of Sacré-Coeur in Ouchy, her mortal remains were further repatriated in 1985 and placed in the Escurial's royal crypt. She was the grandmother of present King Juan Carlos and godmother of Prince Albert of Monaco.

The Order of the Precious Crown is exclusively awarded to ladies, from Japan or foreign countries, for meritorious services. The first class is usually conferred to ladies of royal blood or heads of states. As this is a very sparingly awarded order, these insignia are all of great rarity, even the lowest grades. The present star, which can be dated around 1910, was part of the properties of H.M.Victoria Eugenie Julia (1887 - 1969), Queen of Spain from 1906 to 1931 and wife of King Don Alfonso XIII, grand-daughter of Queen Victoria of England and niece of King Edward VII. As the Queen died in 1969 in Lausanne, her royal estate "Vieille Fontaine" was inventoried by Marcel Matthew. This decoration was listed in the inheritance under Inventory Number 7, Décorations section, and estimated 8'000 CHF (1969). The inventory register mentions that it is one of the only 5 existing examples awarded for this grade in the world before 1969.

Mutsuhito, 1867-1912. Order of the Precious Crown (Hokan-sho, also known as Order of the Sacred Crown), established by Emperor Meiji on January 3rd, 1888. Star of the first class (the order is divided into 8 classes), in 750 gold, pearls and enamels. This extraordinary badge, in the shape of a five-pointed gold star, consists of five rows of radiating pearls separated by red and green enamel cherry blossoms; the central medallion shows a golden phoenix on blue enamel surrounded by a double ring of pearls separated by a band of red enamel on which are two bamboo sprays in green enamel. Ø 70 mm. Badge of the highest rarity and of magnificent manufacture, with a prestigious pedigree. Gritzner fig. 251 and p. 196-198. Werlich fig. 604. AU 60 g.

EF

The lots numbers 890 to 895 are part of her personal collection.

Chaponnière & Firmenich SA

Auction 5 7 December 2013

Presale bidding closes in 8 days 17 hr 5 min

Edited November 27, 2013 by Markus

[JapanX]

Yes, I noticed this beauty too

Not only "Badge of the highest rarity and of magnificent manufacture", but it's also in pristine condition!

I wonder where is the sash badge ...

P.S. Nicely set "minimum bid" :whistle: