Funny-looking Order of St. Gregory the Great

[laurentius]

Dear fellow collectors,

I came across this most peculiar Order of St. Gregory the Great today and it spiked my interest. My knowledge of Papal orders is still developing but several charasteristics of this cross give me a weird feeling. First there is the text on the medaillon which looks badly made (cast) to me, some letters are attached to the ring with residue still around their bases ( R, I, U in Gregorius) whereas the O of Gregorius is somewhat floating in the air? Not to mention the backside of the medaillon, where the text has a wholely different font and the centre seems to be painted, rather than enamel. The enamel on the cross in general and the details of the bust in the centre are also unrecognizable to me. Lastly the box seems generic, not really meant for this Papal decoration. What is your opinion?

Kind regards, Laurentius

Edited February 5, 2021 by laurentius

[922F]

Examine hallmark on reverse suspension lug--that should reveal clues to source.  Punch shape suggests possible Austrian or French manufacture.  Look at ring as well for marks.   Possibly made  with struck motto rings & centers [or replacement centers] now simply displaying wear and oxidation.  Champlevé work behind Gregory's head looks French.  Not that the case necessarily was supplied with the decoration initially but it's general appearance looks to be of typical Bertrand, Bacqueville  & similar origin.  

A fine  example, in my opinion!   

 

Edited February 5, 2021 by 922F
spelchek

[laurentius]

7 minutes ago, 922F said:

Examine hallmark on reverse suspension lug

I do not have the piece in my possession, I did suspect a French connection, given the wreath which is double-sided and different from my piece made in Rome. Not to mention the ball-formed ringholder. Thank you very much for your response. Could we put a date on this decoration?

Kind regards, Laurentius

[OvBacon]

looks like a French silver hallmark on the suspension.

Edited February 5, 2021 by OvBacon

[922F]

The hallmark possibly would provide a date range depending on what it is.  Judging by enamel work, maybe 1900-1930 manufacture.  Suspension wreath type similar to Black Star of Benin dating to that period and used maybe as late as the early 1950's.  

[pat66]

Hello, j tnink that's a french made, there's two mixed hallmarks 

a boar head at right and a A X C at left for Adrien Chobillon.

that's just my 2 cents, and scuse my english.

 

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

I think, it should be a piece of typical French manufacture, from the first half of 20th Century, although the case looks quite modern.

The marks could possibly confirm my opinion.

Best wishes,

Enzo (E.L.)

 

Edited February 20, 2021 by Elmar Lang

[JapanX]

This piece was made by Chobillon, Paris. 

1912 catalogue.

 

Source.

[laurentius]

Despite the fact that more than two and a half years have passed since this discussion I would like to announce that I have finally purchased a Order of St. Gregory the Great by Adrien Chobillon. Here you can see it with my Italian made piece by Tanfani and Bertarelli.

 

 

There are quite a number of differences, not all of them bad. The motto of the order around the medaillon is of lower quality in the piece made by Chobillon, same goes for the enamel and the wreath. The bust of St. Gregory on the medaillon on the other hand is of better quality with Chobillon, which also goes for the filigrain pattern under the enamel. 

 

The last thing I noticed with pieces made by Chobillon is that the wreath is the same as the ones used on the Legion D'Honneur. This interchangeability is not astounding, as Chobillon would have quite an amount of them laying around. Not to mention that the construction of the wreath and the attachment to the cross of of good quality, which is lacking sometimes in Italian-made pieces. Quite happy with it, I got it at rather a good price. It's marked twice, once for Adrien Chobillon and once for silver.

 

Kind regards, Laurentius