Item number: M486

Year: AD 1881-1897

Material: Silver-gilt, Enamel

The results after XRF testing

Size: 79.5 x 79.5 x 15.3 mm

Weight: 57.15 g

Manufactured by: J. Godet & Sohn in Berlin

Provenance: Lynda Trouvé 2025

This is the Order of the Double Dragon issued in the 22nd year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1896), which was augmented with starburst rays upon the foundation of the First Type instituted in the 7th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1881).

The principal starburst of the insignia comprises four major rays, distinguishing it from the far more prevalent eight-rayed configuration. The central medallion conforms to the Third Class, First Grade badge prescribed under the AD 1881 regulations. At the centre sits a cabochon sapphire within a mount of radiating triangular rays, flanked symmetrically by two Chinese dragons set against an azure-enamelled ground. Inscribed within the void between the dragons are the Chinese characters reading ‘Imperial Gift of the Order of the Double Dragon’ (Yuci Shuanglong Baoxing), arranged with ‘Imperial Gift’ (Yuci) at the upper centre, ‘Double Dragon’ (Shuanglong) to the right, and ‘Precious Star’ (Baoxing) to the left. The obverse perimeter is bounded by a gold ring set with fourteen cabochon corals, engraved at the top and bottom with the Manchu legends ‘ᠠᠮᠪᠠ ᡩᠠᡳᠴᡳᠩ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ ᡳ’ (Imperial Gift of the Great Qing) and ‘ᡳᠯᠠᠨ ᠵᡝᡵᡤᡳ ᡠᠵᡠᡳ’ (Third Class, First Grade) respectively, whilst the outermost edge is adorned with blue-enamelled cloud scrolls.

The reverse is plain, bearing only the maker’s mark ‘J. GODET & SOHN · BERLIN ·’ struck in a circular legend upon the central backing plate.

The genesis of Qing dynasty honours lay in the aftermath of the First Opium War, when the influx of Europeans rendered traditional foreign policy untenable. Even following the establishment of the Zongli Yamen (Office for the General Management of Affairs Concerning Foreign Nations), profound disparities in diplomatic etiquette and customary protocols caused persistent friction. When engaging the numerous foreign nationals employed across Qing military ordnance, education, and commerce, conventional imperial rewards bestowed upon Chinese subjects—such as the peacock feather, rank-badge hat knobs (dingdai hualing), or decrees of imperial commendation—proved unsatisfactory to Western recipients. To align imperial protocol with Western conventions, the Qing court established the system of the Order of the Double Dragon. Nevertheless, the original rayless medallion contravened European phaleric traditions, whilst the plaque design was considered overly cumbersome. During the overseas diplomatic mission of AD 1896, the precedent of adorning the First Type badge with starburst rays was established—most probably with the insignia presented to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia—setting a standard observed throughout the remainder of the itinerary across Europe and North America.

Under the peculiar regulations governing the Order of the Double Dragon, recipients below the Third Class were generally obliged to bear the minting costs themselves, with exemptions granted solely to the higher classes. Furthermore, the early technical capability and output of the Imperial Workshops could not fully satisfy the escalating demands of frequent diplomatic exchanges and bespoke orders. Consequently, coinciding with Li Hongzhang’s European mission, prominent insignia manufacturers and jewellers across Europe received an influx of commissions from both Qing officials and foreign recipients. During this period, eminent silversmiths and medallists—including Maison Halley, Krétly, and Lemaître in Paris; Wolfers in Brussels; Treiden in Moscow; and the celebrated firm of J. Godet & Sohn in Berlin—undertook the manufacture of these decorations. Owing to the absence of strict standardised patterns, the insignia produced by different makers exhibited noticeable variations. Following Li Hongzhang’s return to China, the Qing court instituted a comprehensive redesign, officially establishing the rayed starburst as the statutory pattern, which became known as the Second Type of the Order of the Double Dragon.

The hierarchical structure and institutional regulations of the Order of the Double Dragon remained essentially uniform across its various iterations. The statutory recipients corresponding to each class and grade under the AD 1881 regulations are delineated as follows:

In AD 1896 (the 22nd year of the Guangxu reign), Li Hongzhang, leader of the Self-Strengthening Movement, Viceroy of Zhili, and Minister for Beiyang Commerce, was dispatched to Europe by imperial decree. The original impetus for the embassy was his attendance at the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II in Moscow, which subsequently evolved into a global diplomatic mission aimed at maintaining relations with the European Great Powers. Following the Qing court’s disastrous defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War in AD 1894, Li’s diplomatic manoeuvring had successfully orchestrated the Triple Intervention of Germany, France, and Russia, obliging Japan to relinquish its claim to the Liaodong Peninsula. To fulfil political commitments made to these European powers and to inspect Western advancements in ordnance, naval architecture, and electrical engineering in furtherance of Qing modernisation, the seventy-three-year-old statesman led the delegation abroad. In June of that year, Li arrived in Germany for a three-week official visit that aroused widespread public interest; he was received in audience by Kaiser Wilhelm II and paid a personal visit to the country estate of the former German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck—the ‘Iron Chancellor’—whom he had long held in high esteem.

J. Godet & Sohn was established in Berlin in AD 1761 by Jean Godet, a Huguenot refugee and master goldsmith. From AD 1828, the family enterprise held the Royal Warrant as Court Jeweller to the Prussian monarchy, subsequently serving as an official purveyor to German Emperors Wilhelm I and Wilhelm II. A substantial proportion of Prussia’s highest military decorations, including the Pour le Mérite (‘Blue Max’) and historical issues of the Iron Cross, were produced by this prestigious establishment.

物件編號: M486

年代: 公元 1881-1897 年

材質: 銀鍍金, 珐瑯

XRF分析結果

尺寸: 79.5 x 79.5 x 15.3 mm

重量: 57.15 g

製造地: 戈登特父子公司，德國

來源: 琳達·特魯韋 2025

此為光緒22年（公元1896年），發行的雙龍寶星，以光緒7年（公元1881年）的第一版雙龍寶星為基礎，加上星芒。

寶星大芒部分有四道星芒，有別於最常見的八道星芒。上蓋部分則與光緒七年制的三等一級章體一致。寶星正中央有一枚光面的藍寶石，其座為放射狀的三角形光芒，兩側為對稱的中國龍。地章處以天藍色琺瑯彩繪。在雙龍的間隙，有漢字「御賜雙龍寶星」，「御賜」居中上，「雙龍」居右，「寶星」居左。正面外圍為一道金環，鑲有十四顆光面珊瑚，上下兩側，則分別鐫刻「ᠠᠮᠪᠠ ᡩᠠᡳᠴᡳᠩ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ ᡳ」(大清御賜) 和「ᡳᠯᠠᠨ ᠵᡝᡵᡤᡳ ᡠᠵᡠᡳ」(三等第一) 滿文字樣，邊緣則以藍色雲紋狀的琺瑯裝飾。

背面光素，僅圓蓋部分環列「J. GODET & SOHN · BERLIN · 」標示製造商。

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，於是創造了清朝勳章寶星制度。但無星芒的章體與外國習例不合，章牌又過於笨重。於是在此次出訪期間，出現第一式雙龍寶星加綴星芒的首例，應為贈送俄皇尼古拉二世的雙龍寶星，此後於歐美的行程皆循此例。

由於雙龍寶星勳章實行「除高等級外，三等以下獲得者通常需自行承擔鑄造費用」的特殊機制，且大清內廷早期的造辦技術與產量無法完全滿足頻繁的外交與訂製需求。因此，伴隨着李鴻章的出訪行程，歐洲各地的知名勳章與珠寶製造商迎來了清廷官方或獲勳外籍官員的大量訂單。當時包含巴黎的哈裏家族(Halley)、克萊提莉珠寶行(Krétly)與樂麥特公司(Lemaître)，布魯塞爾的沃爾夫斯公司(Wolfers)，莫斯科的特瑞登公司(Treiden)，以及柏林著名的戈登特公司（J. Godet & Sohn）等大牌銀匠與造幣廠商，均紛紛投入清代雙龍寶星勳章的代工與製作。由於形制不嚴，各製造商所出品的雙龍寶星各有出入。李鴻章返國後，清廷重新設計，帶星芒的新式雙龍寶星成為官方定例，是為第二版雙龍寶星。

各個版本的雙龍寶星在等級、制度基本上沒有太大的差異，下表為光緒7年（公元1881年）寶星章程等級對應頒發對象：

公元1896年（光緒二十二年），大清帝國洋務運動領袖、直隸總督兼北洋通商大臣李鴻章奉光緒帝之命出使歐洲。此行的最初契機係前往莫斯科出席俄皇尼古拉二世的加冕典禮，隨後演變為一場旨在維繫與歐洲列強外交關係的環球訪問。此前，清廷在公元1894年的甲午戰爭中慘敗，李鴻章憑藉其外交手腕，成功促成德、法、俄「三國干涉還遼」，迫使日本放棄佔領遼東半島。為了履行對歐洲各國的政治承諾，並親自考察西方先進的軍工、造船與電氣科技以期推進大清的現代化改革，時年七十三歲高齡的李鴻章遂率團出訪。同年六月，李鴻章抵達德國展開為期三週的正式訪問，在當地引起極大轟動，不僅受到德皇威廉二世的接見，更親自前往莊園造訪他仰慕已久的德國前總理、有「鐵血宰相」之稱的奧托·馮·俾斯麥。

戈登特公司（J. Godet & Sohn）於公元1761年由胡格諾派難民，金匠讓·戈登（Jean Godet）創立於柏林。該家族企業自公元1828年起便榮獲普魯士王室頒發的「宮廷珠寶商」專利，隨後更成為德皇威廉一世及威廉二世的指定供應商，包括普魯士最高軍事榮譽「藍馬克斯勳章（Pour le Mérite）」以及歷代著名的「鐵十字勳章（Iron Cross）」均有極大比例出自該廠。