Item number: M461-3

Year: AD 1882-1897

Material: Gold, Enamel

Provenance: Jakobowicz & Associes 2025

This is a miniature version of the Order of the Double Dragon, issued in the form adopted between the 7th and 23rd years of the Guangxu reign (AD 1882–1897), of the Second Class, Third Grade. The miniature was likely produced for wear with formal evening dress or for purposes of private collection.

The badge takes the form of a multi-petalled lotus mandala, surmounted by cloud motifs, all outlined in blue enamel with gilt settings. At the centre of the star is a plain red enamel disc, replacing the red coral cabochon bearing the character “Shou” found on the official full-size version. Surrounding the central setting is a flame motif, with the flames filled in blue enamel. On either side are four-clawed Chinese dragons, both with heads facing upward; between the dragon heads appear the Chinese characters “御賜” (“Imperially Bestowed”). Separated by a circular band, the upper part of the outer ring bears the Manchu inscription “ᠠᠮᠪᠠ ᡩᠠᡳᠴᡳᠩ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ ᡳ”, meaning “Imperially Bestowed by the Great Qing”, while the lower part reads “ᠵᠠᡳ ᠵᡝᡵᡤᡳ ᡳᠯᠠᠴᡳ”, meaning “Second Class, Third Grade”. At the upper right, lower right, upper left, and lower left are the Chinese characters “雙龍寶星” (“Order of the Double Dragon”). On this miniature insignia, the design details and inscriptions are heavily worn and indistinct. The reverse is plain and uninscribed.

The ribbon for the Second and Third Class Order of the Double Dragon is a neck ribbon of purple silk, embroidered with a pair of dragons pursuing a flaming pearl in yellow tones, with a fret pattern along the edges. This miniature example, however, is without its ribbon.

The inception of the Qing dynasty’s medals and orders occurred after the First Opium War, during which Europeans began to flood into China. The traditional foreign policies could no longer meet the demands of the time. Even with the establishment of the “Zongli Yamen,” a bureau specifically created to handle foreign affairs, there were still numerous conflicts and clashes due to differences in customs and protocols. The traditional Chinese methods of awarding “top-rank buttons” or issuing “imperial commendations” were insufficient to satisfy the foreign professionals employed in various fields such as military, education, and economics within the Qing dynasty. Consequently, to align with Western practises, the Qing dynasty developed its system of medals and orders, including the Order of the Double Dragon.

In the 6th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1881), the Zongli Yamen, feeling that the current system of rewards lacked clear guidelines and could cause unnecessary diplomatic misunderstandings, commissioned Zeng Jize, who was well-versed in European diplomatic affairs, to formulate the relevant regulations. After studying the medals systems of various European countries, Zeng Jize not only created comprehensive regulations but also personally designed illustrations for each grade of the Order of the Double Dragon. The following year, on December 19th, the court approved these designs. Consequently, collectors refer to the first edition of the Order of the Double Dragon as the “Guangxu 7th Year Edition.”

In April of the 34th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1908), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved a memorial to extend the awarding of the “The Order of the Double Dragon” beyond foreigners, to include Qing dynasty foreign affairs officials and emissaries sent abroad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs observed that the primary purpose of orders and decorations in Western countries was to honor their own nationals, whereas the Qing dynasty had done the opposite. During formal diplomatic occasions, foreigners would often wear formal attire adorned with all their awarded orders and decorations. However, Qing dynasty diplomats were frequently unable to wear their own national orders and decorations, having to wear only foreign ones instead. This reform was implemented to address this issue.

物件編號: M461-3

年代: 公元 1882-1897 年

材質: 黃金, 琺瑯

來源: 雅各博維奇拍賣行 2025

這是一枚形制為光緒七至二十三年間(公元1882至 1897年)，所頒之雙龍寶星之迷你版，等級為二等三級。迷你版可能為佩於正裝或收藏所製造。

寶星外觀為多瓣蓮花的曼陀羅造型，頂飾為雲朵，均以鑲金的藍色琺瑯勾勒輪廓。寶星正中央有一枚光面的紅色琺瑯取代官方版中的「壽」字紅珊瑚，鑲嵌處周圍有火焰紋飾，焰色填以藍色琺瑯。兩側為四爪中國龍，龍首均朝上，龍首間有漢文「御賜」。以環相隔，外圈上方有滿文「ᠠᠮᠪᠠ ᡩᠠᡳᠴᡳᠩ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ ᡳ」，即「大清御賜」和下方「ᠵᠠᡳ ᠵᡝᡵᡤᡳ ᡳᠯᠠᠴᡳ」，即「二等第三」字樣。右上、右下、左上、左下，分別有漢字「雙龍寶星」。此迷你版寶星之章圖，文字均漫漶不清。寶星的背面則光平無文。

二等三級的寶星綬帶為領綬，為紫色的綬帶，刺有以黃色為基調的雙龍戲珠圖，邊緣有迴紋紋飾。此迷你版則無綬帶。

清朝勳章的誕生，是在第一次鴉片戰爭後，歐洲人開始湧入清朝，傳統的對外政策已無法符合當時的需求。即便設立專門處理對外事務的「總理各國事務衙門」，仍因為習俗禮儀等落差，造成各種摩擦與碰撞。在面對大量聘用於清朝的軍工、教育、經濟等行業的外國人，傳統對中國人的「頂戴花鈴」或者「傳旨嘉獎」等方式，無法讓外國人滿足。因此為了與西方制度接軌，於是創造了清朝的勳章寶星制度。

光緒6年（公元1881年），總理各國事務衙門有感現行的獎賞缺乏明確獎勵章程，恐在外交帶來不必要的困擾和誤會，便委託熟稔歐洲外交事務的曾紀澤制定相關章程。曾紀澤在研究歐洲各國的獎章制度後，不僅制定完善的章程甚至親自作畫，繪製各個等級的寶星設計圖。隔年12月19日得到朝廷批准，自此收藏界將第一版的雙龍寶星冠以「光緒7年版」稱呼。

在光緒34年（公元1908年）4月經外務部奏准「雙龍寶星」今後的頒發不再僅限外國人，同時也頒發給清朝外務官員以及出洋各史。外務部認為西方各國設立的勳章，主要目的是頒發給本國人，然而清朝卻完全相反。在涉及外交正式場合時，外國人往往會穿著禮服，並佩戴自己獲得的所有勳章，然而清朝的外交官員，常無法配戴本國的勳章，只能配戴外國的勳章，因有此改革。