185 Imperial Russia: Order of Malta.
The neck decoration gold and enamel, without ribbon. The particularly sculpted crown and weapon trophy finely chased. Eyelet on the back for fastening to the neck ribbon.
The Russian double headed eagles between the arms of the cross with orbs and swords worked on both sides in especially fine jeweler's quality and chasing.
The eagles correspond to the Russian type of double eagle where both eagle heads are crowned and the double eagle is then surmounted by an additional crown.
As can be seen on numerous contemporary portraits, many Russian Knights of the Order of Malta wore either the international model (with fleur de lys) or Order crosses without symbols between the cross angles, so that it can be assumed that a purely Russian version was only created after Tsar Paul I accepted the Grand Mastership in November 1798.
The French Revolution and the Third Polish Partition in 1795 also changed the situation of the Order of Malta. Tsar Paul I of Russia, after the Third Polish Partition between Austria, Prussia and Russia, became Protector of the Polish Grand Priory of the Order of Malta in 1795 and established an Orthodox Russian Grand Priory, which he united with the English-Bavarian Tongue of the Order of Malta by Order Decree in 1797, even before Napoleon conquered Malta in June 1798.
Paul I founded both the Catholic - Polish Grand Priory and the Russian - Orthodox Grand Priory. He endowed the Order of Malta with considerable privileges and property, including the Vorontsov Palace in St. Petersburg, by a decree of January 4, 1797.
After the conquest of Malta by Napoleon in 1798, the Russian tsar, who felt personally insulted by this, ordered his admiral Ushakov to support the British and Turks in their fight against France with his ships stationed in the Mediterranean.
On August 15, 1798, at a meeting held in St. Petersburg, Russian dignitaries and Knights of the Order of Malta declared the previous Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Ferdinand Gompes, deposed as the person responsible for the expulsion of the Knights of the Order from the island of Malta and offered the Grand Mastership to Tsar Paul I, who accepted it.
On November 29, 1798, in a solemn ceremony in the throne room of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, the Tsar was installed as Grand Master and by decree of the same day founded the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (Order of Malta) in Russia.
The Tsar attached great importance to his newly acquired dignity and is depicted on various portraits in the Order's habit of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta.
Presumably, our medal was created in connection with this foundation or ceremony as a special Russian model.
As far as I know, it is the only known example with Russian double headed eagles between the arms of the cross.
Even in the treasury of the Kremlin and other Russian museums no other specimen is known.
Magnificent and extremly important piece of insignia of the greatest rarity.
91 x 39 mm
1-2