Item number: M460

Reference number: BBI#790

Year: AD 1901-1917

Material: Gold and Enamel

Size: 120.0 x 35.5 x 6 mm

Weight: 35.4 g

Provenance: Spink 2025

This is an Order of the Indian Empire insignia, second type, of the third class, namely the grade of Companion (CIE).

The obverse is overall designed in the form of the Tudor Rose of England. This emblem derives from the House of Lancaster, the victor of the Wars of the Roses and the predecessor of the Tudor dynasty. The rose is composed of five petals, with their outlines and veins delineated in gold wire and filled with red enamel. Between the five petals are five green leaves, likewise outlined and veined in gold wire and filled with green enamel. At the centre of the emblem, the white rose of the House of York was originally intended; in this decoration, it is replaced by a circular medallion bearing the left-facing bust of Queen Victoria. She is depicted in court dress and wearing the Tudor Crown, which, since the reign of Henry VIII, had served as a symbol of monarchy and royal authority. Surrounding the portrait is a black-enamelled band with gilt lettering reading “IMPERATRICIS AUSPICIIS,” meaning “Under the Auspices of the Empress.” The upper suspension is surmounted by a Tudor Crown, enamelled in red, blue, and green to represent jewels, above which a globus cruciger connects to a circular suspension ring.

The ribbon is worn as a breast ribbon. Its prescribed colour is “imperial purple,” though in practice it appears closer to a deep blue. The brooch is of an integrated one-piece construction and is ornamented with floral and foliate motifs. The presentation case is covered in black leather, stamped in gilt with the initials “C.I.E.” The interior is lined with pale green felt and white satin.

The Order of the Indian Empire was instituted by Queen Victoria on 1 January AD 1878 to commemorate her proclamation as Empress of India in AD 1877. It was conferred upon British and Indian officials serving in India. At its inception, the Order was limited to the grade of Companion (CIE), with the Sovereign and the Grand Master being, respectively, the British monarch and the Viceroy of India. Members of the Indian Council were automatically appointed Companions in recognition of distinguished service. From the outset, the Order was regarded as a junior counterpart to the Order of the Star of India. In AD 1886, it was expanded to two classes through the addition of up to fifty Knights Commander. In AD 1887, the Order was reorganised into three classes: up to twenty-five Knights Grand Commander (GCIE), up to fifty Knights Commander (KCIE), and an unlimited number of Companions. Since AD 1947, the Order has remained dormant and has not been awarded.

The large-scale anti-British uprising of AD 1857, also known as the Indian Rebellion, undermined the foundations of Company rule and prompted the British government to assume direct control of Indian affairs in AD 1858. This marked the end of the East India Company era and the establishment of a colonial regime under the British Crown. Under the system of British India, the subcontinent was divided into provinces administered directly by Britain and princely states ruled by local monarchs under British suzerainty. The Governor-General, later styled Viceroy, exercised supreme authority on behalf of the British monarch. The colonial government comprehensively restructured Indian society in administrative, judicial, military, and fiscal terms, and enhanced its governing capacity through railways, telegraphs, and a modern bureaucratic apparatus. These reforms, however, were accompanied by resource extraction, economic imbalance, and social stratification, intensifying colonial exploitation. From the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, Indian nationalism gradually emerged, evolving from moderate reformist demands into mass anti-colonial movements. During the First and Second World Wars, India was compelled to mobilise manpower and resources in support of British war efforts, exacerbating social hardship and further eroding the legitimacy of colonial rule. After the wars, amid mounting domestic and international pressure and the intensification of nationalist movements, Britain agreed in AD 1947 to terminate its rule. Consequently, from the territory of former British India, the independent states of India and Pakistan were established.

物件編號: M460

參考書目編號: BBI#790

年代: 公元 1901-1917 年

材質: 黃金、琺瑯

尺寸: 120.0 x 35.5 x 6 mm

重量: 35.4 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2025

這是一枚印度帝國勳章，形制為第二版，等級為第三級，即爵士級(Companion)。

勳章正面整體為英格蘭都鐸玫瑰紋章造型，源於都鐸家族的前身，玫瑰戰爭的勝利者，蘭開斯特家族的紋章。玫瑰呈五瓣，以金絲掐出輪廓和花脈，以紅色琺瑯填充。五瓣花瓣間有五片綠葉，以金絲掐出輪廓和葉脈，以綠色琺瑯填充。紋章中央原為約克家族的白玫瑰紋章，勳章中以圓章替代，圓章中央為維多利亞女王的左側半身像。其身著禮服，頭戴都鐸王冠，該冠自亨利八世以來便是王室與王權的象徵。人像外環列黑底金字的銘文「IMPERATRICIS AUSPICIIS」，譯為「在女皇護佑之下」。勳章上方頂飾為都鐸王冠，王冠綴以紅、藍、綠色的琺瑯作為寶石，上方十字聖球連接著圓環型的懸掛。

綬帶為胸綬，法定形制為「帝國紫」(imperial purple)，實際則近深藍色。胸針為一體式，上有花葉紋飾。徽章盒外表為黑色皮革，飾有燙金壓花「C.I.E」字樣，內襯淺綠色毛氈和白色緞面。

印度帝國勳章由維多利亞女王於公元1878年1月1日設立，旨在紀念其於公元1877年加冕為印度女皇。該勳章授予在印度服務的英國和土著官員。最初僅限於爵士(Companion, C.I.E)，元首及大團長分別由女及印度總督兼任。印度議會成員因卓越服務而自動成為爵士。此勳章從一開始就被視為印度之星的次級替代品。公元1886年，通過增加最多50名的騎士指揮官，該勳章擴大至兩個等級。然而，公元1887年，它再次重新組織，劃分為三個等級：最多25名的大騎士指揮官(G.C.I.E.)，最多50名的騎士指揮官(K.C.I.E.)，以及無限數量的爵士。該勳章自公元1947年以來一直處於停止頒授狀態。

公元1857年爆發的大規模反英起義(又稱「印度民族起義」)，動搖了公司統治基礎，促使英國政府於公元1858年直接接管印度事務，結束東印度公司時代，建立由英國王室統治的殖民政權。在英屬印度體制下，印度被劃分為由英國直接管轄的「英屬省份」與由土邦君主統治、但受英國宗主權控制的「土邦國」。總督(後稱副王)代表英國君主行使最高統治權，殖民政府在行政、司法、軍事與財政等層面全面重組印度社會，並透過鐵路、電報與現代官僚制度加強統治效率。然而，這些制度改革亦伴隨資源掠奪、經濟失衡與社會分化，加深了殖民者的壓迫。19世紀末至20世紀初，印度民族主義運動逐漸興起，從溫和改革訴求轉向大規模反殖民運動。第一次與第二次世界大戰期間，印度被迫動員人力與資源支援英國戰事，加劇民生困境，也進一步削弱殖民統治的正當性。戰後，在國內外壓力與民族運動高漲的情況下，英國於公元1947年同意結束統治。最終，自原英屬印度的版圖中，印度與巴基斯坦就此獨立。