Item number: G24

Year: AD 1929

Material: 18ct Gold (750 Mark)

Size: 51 x 38 x 13 mm

Weight: 38.8 g

Provenance: Andreas Thies EK 2025

This is a gold bonbonnière presented by Benito Mussolini to his daughter, Edda Mussolini, on 1 September AD 1929.

The box is oval in form, executed in gold, and weighs 38.8 grams. The lid bears in relief the diamond-set initials “EM”, standing for “Edda Mussolini”, flanked on either side by fasces motifs. The fasces, originally a symbol of authority in ancient Rome, were later adopted by the Fascist regime and, during Mussolini’s rule, became the principal emblem of state power and national authority in Italy. The exterior surface of the box is decorated with finely chased geometric ornamentation in a rippling, wave-like pattern.

The interior is plain and polished. On the base appears the mark “750” within a lozenge-shaped cartouche. The lozenge denotes gold as the material, while the numeral indicates a fineness of 750/1000, that is, 18-carat gold. To the left is a hexagonal stamp, likely the maker’s mark; owing to wear, it is no longer legible. Prior to AD 1933, hexagonal maker’s marks were relatively uncommon; standardised regulations were not formally introduced until the promulgation of Law No. 305 on 5 February AD 1934.

Engraved in cursive script inside the lid is the dedication: “1~9~1929 VII tuo Papa”, meaning “1 September 1929, Year Seven of the Fascist Era, your father.” The Fascist dating system was instituted under Mussolini and counted from the March on Rome in AD 1922 as Year I. Year I covered AD 1922–1923; Year VII corresponded to AD 1928–1929. The inscription therefore records 1 September AD 1929 as Year Seven of the Fascist Era. Edda Mussolini was born on 1 September AD 1910; accordingly, the engraved date marks her nineteenth birthday.

Benito Mussolini (1883–1945) was the founder and leader of Italian Fascism. Following the March on Rome in AD 1922, he consolidated power and established a one-party state, becoming, after AD 1925, the effective dictator of Italy. He promoted a totalitarian political order grounded in nationalism and state authority, suppressing domestic opposition while pursuing expansionist foreign policies, including the invasion of Ethiopia in AD 1935 and Italy’s entry into the Second World War in AD 1940 as an ally of Nazi Germany. After the collapse of the Fascist regime in AD 1943, he briefly headed the Italian Social Republic in northern Italy under German auspices. In AD 1945, while attempting to flee, he was captured and executed by Italian Communist partisans.

Edda Mussolini (1910–1995) was Mussolini’s eldest daughter. In AD 1930 she married Galeazzo Ciano, a supporter of the Fascist Party and a general of the Kingdom of Italy. Ciano served first as Italian Consul in Shanghai and later as Minister of Press and Propaganda and Minister of Foreign Affairs, becoming one of the leading figures of the regime. During the Second World War, he grew increasingly critical of Mussolini’s close alignment with Germany. At the Fascist Grand Council in AD 1943, Ciano voted for Mussolini’s removal and was subsequently dismissed from office by King Victor Emmanuel III. During his subsequent flight he was arrested by German forces and later executed by the Italian Social Republic. Edda fled to Switzerland but eventually returned to Italy and served a prison sentence. In the post-war period she was subjected to confinement and investigation; in later life she wrote memoirs and preserved and published Ciano’s diaries, which have since become significant primary sources for the study of the Fascist regime.

物件編號: G24

年代: 公元 1929 年

材質: 18ct 黃金 (750標記)

尺寸: 51 x 38 x 13 mm

重量: 38.8 g

來源: 安德烈亞斯·蒂斯拍賣行 2025

這是一件由貝尼托·墨索里尼於公元1929年9月1日贈送給其女兒埃達·墨索里尼的黃金糖果盒。

此盒呈橢圓形，以黃金製成，重量為38.8克。盒蓋上陽刻有鑲鑽的字母「EM」，即「埃達·墨索里尼」之縮寫「Edda Mussolini」，兩側有束棒(fasces)圖案。束棒原為古羅馬權力象徵，後為法西斯政權所採用，在墨索里尼統治期間成為義大利國家權威與政權力量的主要標誌。盒子外表為細密的幾何紋樣，呈水波狀。

盒內為光面，底部印有菱形外框的「750」字樣，菱形表示材質為金，數字表示其金含量為「750/1000」，即18K金。其左側六邊形戳記應為製造商標記，因漫漶而無法識讀。公元1933年前，六邊形戳記的製造商標記相當少見，直至公元1934年2月5日頒布的第305號法律才對此開始有統一的規定。

盒蓋內側刻有手寫體的銘文「1~9~1929 VII tuo Papa」，即「1929年9月1日，法西斯紀元七年，你的父親」。法西斯紀年制度為墨索里尼政權所推行，自公元1922年「進軍羅馬」起算為第一年。第一年涵蓋1922–1923年；第七年對應1928–1929年。因此，此銘文所記錄之日期為法西斯紀元第七年，即1929年9月1日。埃達·墨索里尼出生於公元1910年9月1日。依此推算，該銘刻日期正值其十九歲生日。

貝尼托·墨索里尼(Benito Mussolini)為義大利法西斯主義的創立者與領袖，公元1922年「進軍羅馬」後掌握政權，建立一黨專政體制，並於公元1925年後成為實質上的獨裁統治者。其推動極權主義國家制度、強調民族主義與國家權威，對內壓制反對勢力，對外則採取擴張政策，包括公元1935年入侵衣索比亞，以及公元1940年加入第二次世界大戰，與納粹德國結盟。公元1943年法西斯政權垮台後，他一度在德軍扶植下於北義大利成立義大利社會共和國，最終於公元1945年，在逃亡途中被義大利共產黨游擊隊捕獲並處決。

埃達·墨索里尼(Edda Mussolini)為墨索里尼長女。公元1930年與法西斯黨的支持者，義大利王國將領加萊阿佐·齊亞諾(Galeazzo Ciano)結婚，齊亞諾先任義大利駐上海領事，後任新聞部長、外交部長等，為法西斯四巨頭之一。第二次世界大戰期間，齊亞諾因反對墨索里尼與德國的緊密結盟而逐漸與其決裂，公元1943年的法西斯大會上，齊亞諾投票罷免墨索里尼，隨即被國王維多·伊曼紐三世解除職務。於流亡過程中被德軍逮捕，被義大利社會共和國處決。其妻埃達逃亡至瑞士，最終歸國服刑。在戰後曾被軟禁與審查，晚年撰寫回憶錄，保存並公開齊亞諾日記，成為法西斯政權的重要史料。