24 Toskana: St. Josephs - Orden, Großkreuzsatz verliehen an Alfons von Bourbon - Sizilien, Graf von Caserta (1841-1934).
The Grand Cross Gold and Enamel, on an especially beautiful, sewn sash made of the finest moiré silk with a folded rosette. Smaller enamel chips due to wear.
Beautiful, finely crafted piece in the best old Italian goldsmith work from the first half of the 19th century.
The breast star is silver, with the maker's mark of the Austrian court jewellers ‘C.F. ROTHE WIEN’ and the official hallmark (AA). A very beautiful piece from the second half of the 19th century.
Alfonso Maria Giuseppe Alberto of Naples and Sicily, better known as Alfonso Maria of Bourbon-Sicily, Count of Caserta (28 March 1841 – 26 May 1934) Province of Caserta; † 26 May 1934 in Cannes on the Côte d'Azur, became the pretender to the throne of the royal house after the death of his half-brother Francis II, the last King of the Two Sicilies.
His Royal Highness Prince Alfonso was the third son of twelve children of King Ferdinand II of Naples and Sicily (1810-1859) and his second wife, Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (1816-1867), the eldest daughter of Archduke Charles of Austria-Teschen and Princess Henriette Alexandrine of Nassau-Weilburg.
After the death of his half-brother Francis II, King of the Two Sicilies (1836-1894), the Neapolitan legitimists regarded his brother Alfonso, Count of Caserta, as the rightful king (Alfonso I).
He had distinguished himself in the Papal Swiss Guard, particularly in Spain during the Carlist Wars, but above all for his heroic defence of the fortress of Gaeta in 1861.
From the citation for the award of the Knight's Cross of the Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa to the Duke of Caserta by Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria in 1861:
‘His Royal Highness, the Duke of Caserta, second stepson of King Francis II, was born on 28 March 1841.
He displayed particularly daring bravery during the defence of Gaeta. On repeated occasions, the king was obliged to order the young prince not to expose himself to enemy fire so much. During the particularly fierce bombardments on 8 and 22 January 1861, he had to be formally confined to the casemates for this reason."
It was only in the last years of his long life, after the reconciliation between the Church and the State of Italy, that he restored relations with the Italian royal family.
Grand Cross set of almost unsurpassable jeweller quality.
Of great rarity and historical interest, with provenance from the Royal House of Bourbon-Sicily.