Item number: M461-14

Year: AD 1866-1955

Material: Silver-gilt, Gemstone

Provenance: Jakobowicz & Associes 2025

This is an insignia of the Academic Palms, established on 17 March AD 1808 by Napoleon I to encourage and reward outstanding scholars of the University of Paris. The miniature version served as a substitute for occasions on which wearing the full-size insignia was impractical.

The insignia is notably ornate in appearance, taking the form of a silver laurel wreath. The left side is composed of palm fronds, while the right side consists of laurel leaves. The surfaces of the leaves are set with small white diamonds, and the five laurel berries are mounted with red diamonds or gemstones. At the lower section of the branches, the rough texture of bark is carefully rendered, while at the upper part the overlapping leaf tips form a pair of crossed leaves.

At the top of the insignia is a cylindrical suspension element. On its obverse, a white semi-translucent stone is secured to the suspension by a fine claw-setting structure; the stone may be a small diamond, enamel, or glass. The suspension ring passes through this element and displays a small notch on the left side, which may relate to a fineness mark or a maker’s mark. The reverse is gilt, with the original metal colour visible at the lower branches. The leaf surfaces on the reverse reveal the rivets used to secure the stones on the obverse. The original ribbon associated with this insignia is purple in colour.

The Order of Academic Palms (Ordre des Palmes académiques) is among the oldest civil and educational honours in French history and is the only decoration originating in the imperial period that remains in active use. Its origins can be traced to the “Imperial University Palms” instituted by Napoleon I in AD 1808. Initially, this was not a medal in the modern sense, but an embroidered insignia worn on the uniform to recognise contributions to the national education system and higher learning. It comprised three classes: titulaire, officier de l’université, and officier des académies. In AD 1850, the system was reorganised into two classes: officier de l’Instruction publique, replacing the former officier de l’université, and officier des académies. In AD 1866, during the reign of Napoleon III, the insignia was formally transformed into an independently wearable metal decoration and established as the Ordre des Palmes académiques, becoming a national honour specifically intended to reward contributions to education, scholarship, culture, and the dissemination of knowledge. As the system evolved, eligibility gradually expanded beyond teachers, scholars, and educational administrators in metropolitan France to include foreign nationals who made significant contributions to French culture, language, and academic exchange. In AD 1955, the order was reorganised into its current three-grade structure: Commandeur, Officier, and Chevalier, corresponding respectively to the original titulaire, officier de l’université, and officier des académies. Prior to AD 1955, the wreath consisted of both palm and laurel branches; thereafter, only the palm was retained. Originally, purple enamel was applied only to the stems, later extended to the leaves. The setting of diamonds or the faceting of elements to enhance reflectivity on non-official versions appears to have been relatively common; an early twentieth-century Paris auction catalogue even classified such pieces according to their degree of luxury.

The conferral of the order is not limited to French citizens. In AD 1998, for instance, renowned Taiwanese linguist and French language specialist Ms. Chiu Ta-Huan was awarded the grade of Officier of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques.

物件編號: M461-14

年代: 公元 1866-1955 年

材質: 銀鍍金、寶石

來源: 雅各博維奇拍賣行 2025

這是一枚起源自公元1808年3月17日，由拿破崙一世為了勉勵巴黎大學傑出的學者設立的「學術棕櫚勳章」。迷你版則是於不便配戴正章的場合作為替代。

勳章的外觀十分華麗，形式為銀質的桂冠，左側為棕櫚枝葉，右側為月桂枝葉，葉面均鑲有白色碎鑽，五顆月桂果實為紅色碎鑽或寶石。下方枝幹處雕刻出樹皮的粗糙感，上方葉尖交疊處有兩葉。章體上方懸掛為一圓筒，正面以細微的爪鑲結構將一顆白色半透明寶石鑲嵌於懸掛上，寶石可能為碎鑽、琺瑯或玻璃所製，吊環則穿過懸掛，左側有一缺口，疑為關於成色或製造商的戳記。背面為鍍金，下方枝幹處顯出原色。葉面則是顯現固定正面保時所用之釘鉚。其搭配的原綬帶配色為紫色。

法國大學棕櫚勳章（Ordre des Palmes académiques）為法國歷史最悠久的文教類榮譽之一，也是唯一帝國時期流傳至今的現行勳章，其源流可追溯至拿破崙一世於公元1808年設立的「帝國大學棕櫚徽飾」。最初，此徽飾並非現代意義上的勳章，而是一種刺繡而成，佩戴於制服上的榮譽標誌，用以表彰對國家教育體系與高等學術有貢獻之人士。分為三階：「受銜者」（titulaire）、「大學官員」（officier de l’université）與「學院官員」（officier des académies）。公元1850年，改為二階：取代「大學官員」的「公共教育官員」（officier de l’Instruction publique）與學院官員。至公元1866年，在拿破崙三世統治時期，該制度正式轉化為可獨立佩戴的金屬質勳章體系，並確立為「大學棕櫚勳章」，成為專門獎勵教育、學術、文化與知識傳播貢獻的國家榮譽。隨著制度演進，其授予對象亦逐步擴大，不僅涵蓋法國本土之教師、學者與教育行政人員，也包括對法國文化、語言與學術交流具有重要貢獻的外國人士。公元1955年，該勳章正式重組為現行的三等級制度：司令級（Commandeur）、軍官級（Officier）與騎士級（Chevalier），分別對應初設時的「受銜者」、「大學官員」與「學院官員」。公元1955年前，桂冠由棕櫚和月桂枝葉組成，後只有棕櫚；原僅枝幹填充紫色琺瑯，後改為葉面填充紫色琺瑯。於非正式版章體上鑲鑽或切削出反射面的做法或許頗為常見，於二十世紀初的一個巴黎拍賣會名錄上，甚至因奢華程度而加以分類。

勳章的頒發對象不限於法國公民，公元1998年，臺灣知名語言學者和法語專家邱大環女士便曾獲贈軍官級的學術棕櫚勳章。