Die königliche Chiffre Gold und Emaille, die besonders plastisch gearbeitete Krone mit geschliffenen Rubinen, Smaragden und Diamanten besetzt. Das Kronenfutter in transluzidem roten Emaille mit feiner Guillochierung ausgeführt.
Die Initialen der Königin in transluzidem dunkelblauen, bzw. weißem Emaille.
Vermutlich wurde diese Auszeichnung an die höchsten Hofdamen der Königin sowie besonders hochgestellte adelige Damen verliehen.
Außerordentlich fein gearbeitet, prächtige Dekoration von allerbester portugiesischer Goldschmiedearbeit.
Amélie d’Orléans (voller Name: Marie Amélie Louise Hélène
d’Orléans; * 28. September 1865 in London-Twickenham; † 25. Oktober 1951 in Le
Chesnay) war durch ihre Heirat mit Karl I. von 1889 bis 1908 die letzte Königin
von Portugal.
1884 wurde der portugiesische Thronfolger Karl durch eine
Fotografie Amélies auf die junge Frau aufmerksam. Um sie persönlich
kennenzulernen, begab er sich im Januar 1886[2] nach Chantilly, wo die
Orléans-Familie seit ihrer Rückkehr nach Frankreich im Jahr 1871 im dortigen
Schloss residierte. Karl und Amélie verband von Anfang an eine gegenseitige
Zuneigung, und schon bald wurde ihre Verlobung bekanntgegeben, die mit großem
Pomp in Paris gefeiert wurde. Anschließend reiste die Frischverlobte mit dem
Zug nach Portugal, wo sie am 19. Mai 1886 in Vimieiro ankam.[2] Von dort ging
es für die Prinzessin in den Palast von Necessidades in Lissabon.
Drei Tage später heiratete Amélie am Nachmittag des 22. Mai
1886 in der Lissaboner Kirche Sao Domingos den späteren portugiesischen König
Karl I. Nach einer kurzen Hochzeitsreise nach Sintra bezog das Thronfolgerpaar
den Palácio Nacional de Belém. Dort erreichte Amélie die Nachricht, dass ihre
Familie erneut aus Frankreich ausgewiesen worden war. Ihre Eltern gingen
daraufhin wieder nach England. Noch im gleichen Jahr gab das Paar offiziell
bekannt, dass Amélie schwanger war. Nach einer unkomplizierten Schwangerschaft
brachte sie am 21. März 1887 bei einer ungewöhnlich langwierigen Niederkunft
ihren ersten Sohn Ludwig Philipp zur Welt. Die Geburt hatte derart lange
gedauert, dass Verwandte und Höflinge enorm beunruhigt gewesen waren und schon
das Schlimmste befürchtet hatten. Im gleichen Jahr hatte Amélie Gelegenheit,
ihre Familie wiederzusehen. Diese bot sich bei der ersten offiziellen Reise des
Thronfolgerpaars, die es anlässlich des 50-jährigen Jubiläums von Königin
Victoria in die englische Hauptstadt führte. Anschließend reiste das Paar
weiter nach Schottland, von wo aus die beiden die Nachricht von der zweiten
Schwangerschaft Amélies nach Portugal schicken konnten.
Als Amélies Schwiegervater Ludwig I. im Oktober 1889
verstorben war, bestieg ihr Mann im Dezember als Karl I. den portugiesischen
Thron und machte sie damit zur Königin von Portugal. Rund einen Monat zuvor
hatte die Monarchin am 15. November ihren zweiten Sohn Manuel zur Welt
gebracht. Als Karl am 2. Oktober zu seiner ersten offiziellen Auslandsreise
aufbrach, blieb Amélie in Portugal zurück und übernahm für die Zeit seiner
Abwesenheit die Regentschaft. Doch ihr gelang es genauso wenig wie ihrem Mann,
dem von Parteikämpfen tief gespaltenen Land die innere Ruhe wiederzugeben. Zu
politischen Problemen gesellten sich auch zunehmende finanzielle
Schwierigkeiten, die 1891 schließlich im Staatsbankrott gipfelten. Dies alles
führte zu einem enormen Ansehensverlust der Monarchie und des Königshauses.
1902 musste die Königin mehrere Schicksalsschläge
verkraften. Zu Beginn des Jahres nahm sich Joaquim Augusto Mouzinho de
Albuquerque, der Erzieher ihres Sohnes Ludwig Philipp, das Leben, weil er die
am Hof kursierenden Gerüchte bezüglich seiner platonischen Leidenschaft zu
Amélie nicht länger ertragen konnte.[2] Dazu wurde ihre Herzerkrankung immer
schlimmer und gipfelte im Juni in einer ersten schweren Krankheit. Kurz nachdem
ihr älterer Sohn als Repräsentant des portugiesischen Königshauses von der
Krönung des englischen Königs Eduard VII. im August 1902 zurückgekehrt war,
hatte Amélie einen Schlaganfall,[2] von dessen Folgen sie sich aber wieder
erholten konnte.
In den folgenden Jahren verschärften sich die politischen
Kämpfe immer mehr, und die sozialen Unruhen im Land mündeten immer häufiger in
lokale Revolten. Die Auseinandersetzungen und der zunehmende Hass auf das
Königshaus gipfelten am 1. Februar 1908 in einem Attentat auf den König, als er
gemeinsam mit Amélie und den beiden Söhnen in einer offenen Kutsche über den
Praça do Comércio fuhr. Zwei Republikaner gaben Pistolenschüsse auf das
königliche Gefährt ab. Karl I. wurde dabei tödlich am Hals getroffen und starb
sofort. Der Kronprinz Ludwig Philipp wurde ebenfalls tödlich verwundet und
starb wenige Minuten nach seinem Vater. Prinz Manuel wurde durch die Schüsse am
Arm verletzt. Amélie blieb als einzige der Königsfamilie unverletzt und
versuchte im allgemeinen Tumult voller Verzweiflung, einen der beiden Attentäter
mit ihrem Blumenbouquet zu verprügeln.[3]
Nachdem ihr jüngerer und in Regierungsgeschäften vollkommen
unerfahrener Sohn Manuel seinem ermordeten Vater am 3. Februar 1908[1] auf den
Thron gefolgt war, sah es Amélie als ihrer oberste Aufgabe an, dem jungen König
mit Rat und Tat zur Seite zu stehen. Während der folgenden zwei Jahre übte sie
einen großen Einfluss auf Manuel II. aus. So formulierte sie offizielle
Verlautbarungen des Königs, die er nur unterschrieb, las Berichte und
Depeschen, um ihm anschließend Empfehlungen zu geben, und leitete sogar
politische Ratsversammlungen.[3] Doch auch Manuel II. konnte sein Land nicht
befrieden, in der Nacht vom 3. auf den 4. Oktober 1910 brachen in Lissabon und
anderen großen Städten Aufstände aus. Am 5. Oktober wurde in Porto die Republik
ausgerufen. Amélie hielt sich gemeinsam mit ihrer Schwiegermutter Maria Pia von
Savoyen in Sintra auf, als sie die Nachricht von den Unruhen erreichte. Sie
eilte sofort zurück nach Lissabon, musste aber, angesichts dessen, dass der
Palast von Necessidades von Kriegsschiffen beschossen wurde, mit ihrem Sohn
nach Ericeira flüchten.[3] Weil die Situation für die königliche Familie
aussichtslos war, ging es von dort weiter nach Gibraltar.
Amélie ging mit ihrer Familie schließlich nach England, wo
sie bei ihrem Bruder Louis Philippe auf dessen Landsitz Wood Norton Hall
unterkam.
Außer dem hier angebotenen Exemplar ist mir nur noch ein weiteres Stück dieser Auszeichnung bekannt.
Cypher
for Ladies in Waiting of Queen Amalie of Portugal (1889 - 1908).
This
royal cypher features gold and enamel construction with a superbly
chased crown set with polished rubies, emeralds and diamonds. The lining
of the crown features translucent red enamel executed in fine
guilloche.
The initials of the Queen in translucent dark blue, white enamel.
Presumably, these badges were given to the highest court ladies of the queen as well as high-ranking noble ladies.
Extraordinary fine work. A magnificent decoration of the very best Portuguese Goldsmith craftsmanship.
Amélie
d'orléans (full name: Marie Amélie Louise Hélène d'orléans; 28
September 1865-25 October 1951) was the last queen of Portugal from 1889
to 1908, when she married Charles I of France.
In
1884, the Portuguese heir to the throne, Karl, became aware of the
young woman through a photograph of Amélie. In January 1886, he went to
Chantilly, where the Orléans family had resided since their return to
France in 1871. Charles and Amélie had a mutual affection from the
beginning and soon their engagement was announced, which was celebrated
with great Pomp in Paris. After that, the new fiancée traveled by train
to Portugal, where she died on April 19. He arrived in Vimieiro on 18
May 1886, from there the princess went to the palace of Necessidades in
Lisbon.
Three
days later, on the afternoon of 22 May 1886, Amélie married the future
Portuguese King Karl I in the Church of Sao Domingos in Lisbon. After a
short honeymoon to Sintra, the heir to the throne moved into the Palácio
Nacional de Belém. There Amélie received the news that her family had
again been expelled from France. Her parents then went back to England.
In the same year, the Couple officially announced that Amélie was
pregnant. After an uncomplicated pregnancy, she gave birth to a baby
girl on September 21. She gave birth to her first son, Ludwig Philipp,
on 18 March 1887 during an unusually protracted childbirth. The birth
had lasted so long that relatives and courtiers had been enormously
worried and had already feared the worst. In the same year, Amélie had
the opportunity to see her family again. The first official trip of the
heir to the throne, took them to the English capital on the occasion of
the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria. The couple then travelled on to
Scotland, from where they were able to send the news of Amélie's second
pregnancy to Portugal.
When
Amélie's father-in-law Louis I died in October 1889, her husband
ascended the Portuguese throne as Karl I in December, making her Queen
of Portugal. About a month earlier, the monarch had given birth to her
second son Manuel on 15 November. When Karl left on 2 October for his
first official trip abroad, Amélie remained behind in Portugal and took
over the regency during her absence. But she did not succeed in
restoring inner peace to the country, which was deeply divided by party
struggles. Political problems added to the already increasing financial
difficulties which finally culminated in the bankruptcy of the state in
1891. This led to an enormous loss of prestige for the monarchy and the
royal house.
In
1902, the Queen had to endure several strokes of fate. At the beginning
of the year, Joaquim Augusto Mouzinho de Albuquerque, the tutor of her
son Ludwig Philipp, took his own life because he could no longer bear
the rumors circulating at the court concerning his platonic passion for
Amélie. Her heart disease got worse and worse, culminating in a a
serious illness in June. Shortly after her elder son was elected
representative of the Portuguese royal house at the coronation of the
English King Edward VII. in August 1902, Amélie had a stroke, from which
she recovered.
In
the following years, the political struggles intensified more and more,
and the social unrest in the country increasingly resulted in local
revolts. The conflict and the growing hatred of the royal family
culminated in an assassination attempt on the King on February 1, 1908,
when he and Amélie and their two sons drove across the Praça do Comércio
in an open carriage. Two republicans fired pistol shots at the Royal
vehicle. Karl I was fatally shot in the neck and died immediately. Crown
Prince Ludwig Philipp was also mortally wounded and died a few minutes
after his father. Prince Manuel was wounded in the Arm by the shots.
Amélie was the only one of the royal family to remain unharmed and, in
despair, tried to beat one of the two assassins with her bouquet of
flowers.
After
her younger and completely inexperienced son Manuel had succeeded his
murdered father to the throne on 3 February 1908, Amélie saw it as her
first task to assist the young king with advice and action. During the
next two years she exerted great influence on Manuel II. She formulated
official statements for the King, read reports and dispatches to him,
made recommendations afterwards and presided over political councils.
Unable to pacify his country, riots broke out on the night of 3 - 4
October 1910, in Lisbon and other major cities. On 5 October, the
Republic was proclaimed in Porto. Amélie was in Sintra with her
mother-in-law Maria Pia of Savoy when she received the news of the
riots. She immediately hurried back to Lisbon but, in view of the fact
that the palace of Necessidades was shelled by warships, she and her son
had to flee to Ericeira. because the Situation was hopeless for the
royal family, they continued from there to Gibraltar.
Amélie went with her family to England, where she stayed with her brother Louis Philippe at his country estate Wood Norton Hall.
Apart from the example offered at auction, offered here, I am aware of only one other specimen.
Cypher for Ladies in Waiting of Queen Amalie of Portugal (1889 - 1908). This royal cypher features gold and enamel construction with a superbly chased crown set with polished rubies, emeralds and diamonds. The lining of the crown features translucent red enamel executed in fine guilloche.
The initials of the Queen in translucent dark blue, white enamel.
Presumably, these badges were given to the highest court ladies of the queen as well as high-ranking noble ladies.
Extraordinary fine work. A magnificent decoration of the very best Portuguese Goldsmith craftsmanship.
Amélie d'orléans (full name: Marie Amélie Louise Hélène d'orléans; 28 September 1865-25 October 1951) was the last queen of Portugal from 1889 to 1908, when she married Charles I of France.
In 1884, the Portuguese heir to the throne, Karl, became aware of the young woman through a photograph of Amélie. In January 1886, he went to Chantilly, where the Orléans family had resided since their return to France in 1871. Charles and Amélie had a mutual affection from the beginning and soon their engagement was announced, which was celebrated with great Pomp in Paris. After that, the new fiancée traveled by train to Portugal, where she died on April 19. He arrived in Vimieiro on 18 May 1886, from there the princess went to the palace of Necessidades in Lisbon.
Three days later, on the afternoon of 22 May 1886, Amélie married the future Portuguese King Karl I in the Church of Sao Domingos in Lisbon. After a short honeymoon to Sintra, the heir to the throne moved into the Palácio Nacional de Belém. There Amélie received the news that her family had again been expelled from France. Her parents then went back to England. In the same year, the Couple officially announced that Amélie was pregnant. After an uncomplicated pregnancy, she gave birth to a baby girl on September 21. She gave birth to her first son, Ludwig Philipp, on 18 March 1887 during an unusually protracted childbirth. The birth had lasted so long that relatives and courtiers had been enormously worried and had already feared the worst. In the same year, Amélie had the opportunity to see her family again. The first official trip of the heir to the throne, took them to the English capital on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria. The couple then travelled on to Scotland, from where they were able to send the news of Amélie's second pregnancy to Portugal.
When Amélie's father-in-law Louis I died in October 1889, her husband ascended the Portuguese throne as Karl I in December, making her Queen of Portugal. About a month earlier, the monarch had given birth to her second son Manuel on 15 November. When Karl left on 2 October for his first official trip abroad, Amélie remained behind in Portugal and took over the regency during her absence. But she did not succeed in restoring inner peace to the country, which was deeply divided by party struggles. Political problems added to the already increasing financial difficulties which finally culminated in the bankruptcy of the state in 1891. This led to an enormous loss of prestige for the monarchy and the royal house.
In 1902, the Queen had to endure several strokes of fate. At the beginning of the year, Joaquim Augusto Mouzinho de Albuquerque, the tutor of her son Ludwig Philipp, took his own life because he could no longer bear the rumors circulating at the court concerning his platonic passion for Amélie. Her heart disease got worse and worse, culminating in a a serious illness in June. Shortly after her elder son was elected representative of the Portuguese royal house at the coronation of the English King Edward VII. in August 1902, Amélie had a stroke, from which she recovered.
In the following years, the political struggles intensified more and more, and the social unrest in the country increasingly resulted in local revolts. The conflict and the growing hatred of the royal family culminated in an assassination attempt on the King on February 1, 1908, when he and Amélie and their two sons drove across the Praça do Comércio in an open carriage. Two republicans fired pistol shots at the Royal vehicle. Karl I was fatally shot in the neck and died immediately. Crown Prince Ludwig Philipp was also mortally wounded and died a few minutes after his father. Prince Manuel was wounded in the Arm by the shots. Amélie was the only one of the royal family to remain unharmed and, in despair, tried to beat one of the two assassins with her bouquet of flowers.
After her younger and completely inexperienced son Manuel had succeeded his murdered father to the throne on 3 February 1908, Amélie saw it as her first task to assist the young king with advice and action. During the next two years she exerted great influence on Manuel II. She formulated official statements for the King, read reports and dispatches to him, made recommendations afterwards and presided over political councils. Unable to pacify his country, riots broke out on the night of 3 - 4 October 1910, in Lisbon and other major cities. On 5 October, the Republic was proclaimed in Porto. Amélie was in Sintra with her mother-in-law Maria Pia of Savoy when she received the news of the riots. She immediately hurried back to Lisbon but, in view of the fact that the palace of Necessidades was shelled by warships, she and her son had to flee to Ericeira. because the Situation was hopeless for the royal family, they continued from there to Gibraltar.
Amélie went with her family to England, where she stayed with her brother Louis Philippe at his country estate Wood Norton Hall.
Apart from the example offered at auction, offered here, I am aware of only one other specimen.
