Item number: M461-15

Year: AD 1870-2026 (present)

Material: Silver-gilt, Enamel, Gemstone

Provenance: Jakobowicz & Associes 2025

This is a miniature version of the French Legion of Honour. The Legion of Honour was instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in AD 1802, during his tenure as First Consul, and was awarded to both military personnel and civilians for meritorious service to the state. Its establishment was intended, in part, to reinforce the legitimacy of his rule. The conceptual origins of the order can be traced back to the Order of Saint Louis and the decoration of Saint Louis founded by Louis XIV in AD 1693. The miniature version served as a substitute for the full-size insignia on occasions when wearing the official decoration was impractical.

Members of the Legion of Honour are divided into five grades, corresponding broadly to five ranks, namely: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer), and Grand-Croix (Grand Cross).

The obverse medallion bears the personification of the Republic, in the form of a portrait of the goddess Marianne. The surrounding legend reads “Republique Francaise,” meaning “French Republic.” The reverse depicts crossed tricolour flags, with the outer legend engraved “HON ET PAT,” corresponding to the full form “Honneur et Patrie” (“Honour and Fatherland”); the floral and foliate ornament normally present below is, as in examples of the Second Empire and earlier periods, omitted.

Surrounding the central medallion is a five-rayed star, edged in silver and originally filled with white enamel; in this miniature version, the rays are instead set with white translucent gemstones, possibly small diamonds or paste glass. At the tip of each ray is a white gemstone, secured to the body of the badge by a fine claw-setting. The form and number of the rays draw upon the design traditions of the Maltese cross and the insignia of earlier French chivalric orders. At the five angles between the rays are laurel and oak leaves, originally enamelled green; in this miniature example, each angle is instead set with a single green gemstone. The suspension ornament at the top likewise consists of a wreath formed of the same leaf elements, with each leaf in the miniature version set with a green gemstone. The laurel berries, as in the Second Empire and earlier periods, are omitted. The binding of the branches, originally rendered in metal, is here replaced by a single white gemstone.

It is also noteworthy that the obverse inscription on this miniature reads “RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE”, but, as in examples from the Second Empire and earlier periods, it does not include the date “AD 1870”, a feature that serves as a distinguishing criterion for versions of the Legion of Honour produced during the period of the Third Republic.

Louis Napoleon maintained his rule for 18 years, and the Second Empire came to an end with the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the revolution, the establishment of the Third Republic necessitated a reconfiguration of the Legion of Honour insignia to expunge elements associated with the Napoleonic dynasty. Apart from retaining the outer inscription “Honneur et Patrie” on the reverse, the reimagined features encompass a new portrayal of Marianne on the obverse, amended inscriptions, and a redesigned tricolor flag on the reverse of the order, symbolizing a renewed representation of the Republic during the Third Republic era.

“You call these baubles, well, it is with baubles that men are led… I don’t believe that the French people love liberty and equality; the French have not changed in ten years of revolution; they are what the Gauls were, proud and light. They have only one feeling, honor: therefore, one must feed that feeling, they need distinctions… Do you think that you would be able to make men fight by reasoning? Never. That is good only for the scholar in his study. The soldier needs glory, distinctions, rewards.” 

From the above statement, it can be seen that Napoleon had a deep understanding of and valued the importance of decorations for his soldiers. He considered them a crucial means of boosting the morale of his troops. As a result, Napoleon particularly favored having his soldiers and officers carry these decorations at all times. 

Throughout history, the Legion of Honour has rewarded outstanding military and civilian achievements. However, only those awarded military or similar distinctions from the Legion of Honour are entitled to special privileges, such as receiving a national pension. Despite this, the annual subsidy received by recipients is not sufficient to make them wealthy. Those honored with the Legion of Honour must spend a larger amount each year to acquire and maintain the insignia, including regularly paying fees to the Legion of Honour’s management committee. Therefore, the retirement pension alone is not enough to make the recipients wealthy; instead, receiving the Legion of Honour brings prestige only. 

The table at the bottom of the page compares the annual retirement pensions of recipients of the Legion of Honour at various ranks between the early 20th century and the present day. 

物件編號: M461-15

年代: 公元 1870-2026 年 (至今)

材質: 銀鍍金、琺瑯、寶石

來源: 雅各博維奇拍賣行 2025

此枚為迷你版的法國榮譽軍團勳章。榮譽軍團是拿破崙擔任第一執政時於公元1802年創設的勳位，頒予對國家有功績的軍人和平民，旨在希望能夠強化自身的統治合法性，其概念構想發源於路易十四在公元1693年建立的聖路易騎士團和聖路易勳章。 迷你版於不便配戴正章的場合，作為替代。

榮譽軍團成員分為五種勳位級別，對應到五個軍階，分別是騎士級 (chevalier)、軍官級(officer)、指揮官級commander、大軍官級(grand officer)、和大十字級(grand cross)。

勳章的正面圓章部分為共和國的擬人化象徵，女神瑪麗安娜(Marianne)的肖像。外圈銘文為「Republique Francaise」，即「法蘭西共和國」。背面則為交叉的三色國旗，背面的外圈銘文刻有「HON ET PAT」，即正式版中的「榮譽與祖國」(Honneur et Patrie)，下方的花葉紋則是如第二帝國及之前的時期一般，被省略。圍繞勳章中心的是銀邊原內填白色琺瑯的五道星芒，在此迷你版中改鑲以白色半透明寶石，可能是碎鑽或仿寶石的玻璃。星芒芒尖各有一白色寶石，以細小的爪鑲結構將其鑲嵌於章體上。星芒的造型與數量吸收了馬爾他十字和法國舊騎士團的勳章設計，於五處角隅環繞的是月桂葉和橡樹葉，原為綠色琺瑯，此迷你版中於角隅各鑲以一顆綠色寶石，勳章頂飾懸掛也是由同樣元素組成的葉冠，迷你版中每一葉面各鑲以一顆綠色寶石。月桂果實則是如第二帝國及之前的時期一般，被省略。枝葉綁帶處原以金屬質呈現，此迷你版中替之以一顆白色寶石。頂飾懸掛上方吊環有一大兩小白色寶石，大者與頂飾相焊連，大概是當時流行的一種稱為羊角扣(la bélière)設計的簡略版。背面工藝較為粗糙。

另外值得注意的是，此枚迷你版勳章的正面外圈銘文為「Republique Francaise 」，但下方如第二帝國及以前時期一般，沒有「1870」，這是第三共和國時期版本的勳章的可辨別要素。 

路易· 拿破崙維持了18年的政權和第二帝國隨著普法戰爭的失利宣告結束，經革命後第三共和國成立，在第三共和國時期，為了消除原有的拿破崙王朝的元素，榮譽軍團勳章的設計再度進行更改，除了背面外圈的銘文「榮譽與祖國」被保留以外，其餘元素包含正面的瑪麗安妮肖像、銘文和背面的三色國旗，都是全新的、共和時期的象徵。

拿破崙一世曾說過這麼一段名言: 

「你管這些東西(勳章)叫小玩意兒，嗯，正是有了這些小玩意兒，人們才被引導……我不相信法國人熱愛自由和平等；在十年的革命中，法國人並未改變；他們就像高盧人一樣，驕傲和光榮。他們只有一種感情，那就是榮譽：因此，我們必須滿足這種感情，他們需要榮譽。……你認為你能透過推理讓人們戰鬥嗎？絕不。這只對研究中的學者有好處。士兵需要榮耀、榮譽、獎勵。”」 

從上面這段宣言可以看到，拿破崙十分了解且重視勳章之於他的士兵們的重要性，將其作為一種鼓舞士兵們士氣的重要方式，也因此拿破崙尤其喜愛讓他的士兵和軍官們時刻配帶著這些勳章。 

下方的表格是過去20世紀初和現代的榮譽軍團勳章各勳位受勳者的年退休金的比較。