Item number: M381-8

Year: AD 1883-1939

Material: Gold and Enamel

Provenance: Andreas Thies EK 2024

This is a miniature version of the Order of the Lion and the Sun, established in AD 1808 by Fath-Ali Shah, the second ruler of Iran’s Qajar dynasty. The order comprised five distinct classes and was originally reserved for foreign royalty and diplomats, before later being extended to Iranian citizens. As Iran’s national order of merit, it remained in use until AD 1939, when it was replaced by the Pahlavi dynasty’s Order of Homayoun—which nonetheless retained much of the original design.

The decoration is adorned with radiating rays and features the Qajar-era Kiani crown as part of its design. At the centre is a finely painted medallion depicting a lion holding the sword of Ali, with a rising sun behind it bearing a human face and surmounted by a crown at its apex.

The lion and sun are motifs that have appeared frequently in ancient Persian iconography, typically bearing a close association with royal authority. During Fath-Ali Shah’s reign, the adoption of the lion and sun as official state emblems further strengthened this connection between the symbol and sovereignty, ultimately establishing it as a national emblem of Iran.

物件編號: M381-8

年代: 公元 1883-1939 年

材質: 黃金和琺瑯

來源: 安德烈亞斯·蒂斯拍賣行 2024

這是一枚公元1808年，由伊朗卡扎爾王朝的第二任沙阿，法特赫-阿里創立的「獅子與太陽勳章」迷你版。這枚勳章總共有五個不同的等級，最初僅贈送給他國皇室或外交人員，後續則擴大頒發對象至本國人民。「獅子與太陽勳章」作為伊朗的國家勳章，直到公元1939年才為巴勒維王朝以「八月勳章」取代，不過在造型上仍承接舊有的設計。

勳章周圍是輻射狀的光芒和卡扎爾王朝設計的基亞尼王冠作為裝飾，正中央的圓盤是精美彩繪的，一隻手持阿里之劍的雄獅，雄獅背面則是一個帶有五官冉冉升起的朝陽和頂部以一頂王冠作為裝飾。

雄獅和太陽是古波斯經常出現的圖騰，通常跟王權的象徵有密不可分的關係。法特赫-阿里在位期間，以雄獅和太陽作為國家的標誌，更使得圖騰和王權之間的關聯進一步被強化，甚至成為伊朗的國家象徵。