Item number: M231-6

Year: AD 1889-1914

Material: Gold and Enamel

Provenance: Morton & Eden 2024

This is a miniature version of the Order of Saint Michael, established by the Kingdom of Bavaria under the German Empire, named after the only angel in the Bible to bear the title of Archangel.

The decoration features a gold-bordered Maltese cross, entirely enamelled in an elegant shade of purplish blue. At each of the four angles of the cross—arranged in the order of top, bottom, right, and left—are Latin initials “PPFF,” an abbreviation of the motto “Principe Fidelis Favere Patriae” (“Faithful to the Prince, Favourable to the Fatherland”). The spaces between the arms of the cross are adorned with gold lightning bolts and waves. At the top, the cross is surmounted by a crown bearing a small cross, serving as the suspension element.

The obverse medallion of the decoration bears the Latin inscription “QUIS UT DEUS,” which translates literally as “Who is like God”—a biblical reference to the name of Saint Michael. The reverse medallion typically features the word “VIRTUTI,” meaning “To virtue” or “Dedicated to virtue.” However, this miniature version of the order omits the reverse design, instead displaying the obverse inscription “QUIS UT DEUS” on both sides.

The Order of Saint Michael was established in AD 1693 by Joseph Clemens, then King of Bavaria and Prince-Elector Archbishop of Cologne. Initially conceived as a religious order of merit, it remained limited to ecclesiastical recognition until AD 1857, when King Ludwig I of Bavaria reformed it into a state order of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Prior to the kingdom’s dissolution following Germany’s defeat in World War I in AD 1918, the order comprised a total of four distinct classes.

物件編號: M231-6

年代: 公元 1889-1914 年

材質: 黃金和琺瑯

來源: 莫頓與伊登 2024

這是德意志第二帝國下轄的巴伐利亞王國，以《聖經》中唯一具有天使長頭銜的天使之名創立的迷你版「聖米迦勒勳章」。

勳章外觀為鑲金邊的馬爾它十字架，全身以典雅的紫藍色琺瑯作為彩繪，十字架的四個角按照上、下、右、左順序，各自燙印拉丁縮寫「PPFF」完整意思是「忠於王子，有利於祖國」。十字架空隙之間以金質閃電和波浪作為裝飾，上緣銜接帶有十字架的王冠懸掛。

勳章正面的圓盤燙印「QUIS UT DEUS」直譯為「無人能像上帝」，也是《聖經》對於聖米迦勒這個名字的典故。背面的圓盤則是「VIRTUTI」意思是「獻給美德」。不過這枚迷你版勳章省略背面的設計，兩面皆採用正面的「QUIS UT DEUS」銘文。

聖米迦勒勳章於公元1693年，由時任巴伐利亞國王和科隆選侯國采邑主教的約瑟夫·克萊門斯創立。最初聖米迦勒勳章僅作為宗教領域的勳章，直到公元1857年，在時任巴伐利亞國王路德維希一世改革下，成為巴伐利亞王國的國家勳章。公元1918年，巴伐利亞王國隨著第一次世界大戰戰敗覆滅以前，勳章總計有四個不同的等級。