Item number: M446

Year: AD 1900

Material: Silver

Size: 88.0 x 41.1 x 2.7 mm

Weight: 31.55 g

Provenance: Medals Militaria 2025

This medal is a privately or regimentally issued Italian commemorative medal associated with the China Relief Expedition during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. It is struck in silver, and measuring approximately 41.5 mm in diameter.

The obverse of the medal depicts a right-facing classical female head wearing a laurel wreath, symbolising victory. The treatment is formal and neoclassical, consistent with late nineteenth-century European medallic art, and shows careful modelling of the facial features and wreath. Below the neck of the female head, there is the inscription Massonnet Edit, denoting it was produced by the French medallist Massonnet.

The medal commemorates Italian involvement in the defence of Tientsin (Tianjin), China, on 12 June 1900, one of the earliest and most critical engagements involving foreign forces during the Boxer uprising. It is named to Tenente Arquer Vittorio, an Italian army lieutenant, making this an individually attributed example rather than a generic issue.

The reverse of the medal is enclosed by a laurel and oak wreath tied at the base, with the central inscription naming the recipient and recording the action. The overall composition and wreath arrangement are closely reminiscent of contemporary Italian al Valore Militare medals, although this piece is not an official state award.

The medal retains a blue silk ribbon, fitted with a later suspension mount. Its survival in named form and in good condition is uncommon, and examples of this privately issued China Relief Expedition medal are rarely encountered.

In January AD 1900, as the anti-foreign Boxer Movement in North China intensified and spread, diplomats from various countries, including Italy, expressed concerns to the Qing Empire. However, there were no signs of the situation easing. By June, the Boxers formally launched attacks on foreign compounds in Beijing. Twenty-eight Italian sailors and one officer were trapped in the embassy district, where they provided defence with a powerful one-pound cannon. Additionally, at the Beitang Cathedral in Beijing’s Xicheng District, thirty-eight Italian sailors protected priests and Chinese parishioners.

On June 10th, as part of the first wave of reinforcements departing from Tianjin led by British General Seymour, Italy contributed 42 sailors from the torpedo boat Calabria. However, by June 26th, the beleaguered Seymour Expedition could only retreat to Tianjin, with Italy suffering five fatalities in this operation. On June 19th, during the struggle for control of Tianjin, Lieutenant Ermanno Carlotto sacrificed himself while commanding 20 Italian sailors, intensifying domestic demands for the government to organise an expeditionary force. On July 5th, the government ordered the formation of an expeditionary force comprising 83 officers and 1882 soldiers, which didn’t arrive in China until August 29th. However, as early as August 14th, the second rescue mission led by British General Gaselee, including 53 Italian sailors, had successfully liberated foreigners trapped in Beijing.

After the pacification of the situation, the Italian expeditionary force remained stationed in China until the beginning of the withdrawal in August AD 1901, with the complete repatriation not occurring until four years later. Italy obtained a concession in Tianjin through the Boxer Protocol, becoming its sole foothold in Asia. The Italian concession in Tianjin endured until AD 1943 when, following Italy’s coordination of a ceasefire with the Allied powers, the Japanese military, which was originally part of the Axis powers, occupied the concession. Subsequently, it was transferred to the pro-Japanese regime led by Wang Jingwei, effectively ending Italy’s colonial activities in China.

物件編號: M446

年代: 公元 1900 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 88.0 x 41.1 x 2.7 mm

重量: 31.55 g

來源: 勳章與軍品 2025

此枚獎章為一枚私人或軍團級發行的義大利中國救援遠征紀念獎章，與1900 年義和團事變期間的中國救援遠征有關。其以銀質鑄造，直徑約為 41.5 毫米。

獎章正面描繪一名向右側的古典女性頭像，頭戴月桂花環，象徵勝利。整體處理莊重而具新古典主義風格，與十九世紀末歐洲獎章藝術相一致，並展現出對面部特徵與花環細節的精細塑造。在女性頭像的頸部下方，可見銘文 Massonnet Edit，表明該獎章由法國獎章製作者 Massonnet 製作。

此獎章用以紀念義大利於 1900 年 6 月 12 日參與中國天津（Tientsin / Tianjin）防衛行動，該行動為義和團起義期間外國部隊最早且最關鍵的交戰之一。獎章刻名予 Tenente Arquer Vittorio，一名義大利陸軍中尉，使其成為一枚具個人歸屬的實例，而非一般通用發行品。

獎章背面由一圈月桂與橡葉花環所環繞，花環於底部綁結，中央信文刻錄受獎者姓名與相關行動。整體構圖與花環配置與當時義大利「軍功勳章（al Valore Militare）」極為相似，惟本品並非官方國家授勳。

此獎章保留一條藍色絲質綬帶，並配有後期加裝的懸掛結構。以刻名形式保存且狀態良好的實例並不常見，而此類私人發行的中國救援遠征紀念獎章亦屬罕見。

公元1900年1月，隨著華北的義和團排外運動日益惡化和蔓延，義大利在內的各國大使向清帝國表達擔憂，然而事態卻沒有降溫的意象。隨著時序進入6月，拳民正式向北京的外國人據點發動攻擊，義大利有28名水手和1位軍官受困於使館區，並提供一門火力最為強大的一磅快炮支援防守。另外位處北京西城區的西什庫天主堂(北堂)，則有38名義大利水手保護神父和中國籍教民。

6月10日，英軍將領西摩爾領軍從天津出發的第一批援兵中，義大利從卡拉布里亞號魚雷艇上湊出42名水兵參與。然而6月26日，面臨損失的西摩爾遠征隊僅能退回天津，義大利於此趟行動中付出5人陣亡的代價。6月19日，在天津控制權的爭奪戰中，卡洛托少尉在指揮20名義大利水手戰鬥時犧牲，此事激化國內輿論要求政府組織遠征軍。7月5日，政府下令組織83名軍官和1882位士兵的遠征軍，直到8月29日方才抵達中國。但早在8月14日，由英軍將領蓋斯利領導，包含53名義大利水手的第二批救援隊已經成功解救受困於北京的外國人。

義大利遠征軍在事態平息後，在中國維持駐軍直到公元1901年8月開始撤軍，直到四年後方才全部歸國。而義大利藉由《辛丑條約》在天津獲得租界，成為其在亞洲的唯一據點。天津義租界維繫至公元1943年，當義大利跟同盟國協調停戰後，原本同為軸心國的日軍佔領該租界，後續將其轉讓予日本扶植的汪精衛政權，終結義大利在中國的殖民活動。