Item number: M489

Year: 19th – 20th C. AD

Material: Gold, Silver-Gilt and Enamel

Size: 28.7 x 12.0 x 2.8 mm

Weight: 16.65 g

Provenance: Cambi Auction 2025

This is a chain composed of 9 miniature orders linked together by a gold chain. The medals, made of gold or silver-gilt, originate from a total of 11 countries spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa, primarily from France and its overseas colonies and protectorates.

The Orders in the set, from left to right, are as follows:

Assuming that this miniature medal group was conferred upon a single individual, the recipient most likely originated from Italy, serving as a senior Italian diplomat stationed in the Far East (such as a minister or counsellor) or as a high-ranking attaché (military official). Having accumulated considerable tenure within continental Europe, he was subsequently posted to East Asia, maintaining diplomatic engagements, either concurrently or successively, with the Korean Empire and French Indochina. The Korean Empire officially instituted the Order of the Eight Trigrams in AD 1901, and formal diplomatic relations were established with the Kingdom of Italy in AD 1902 alongside the foundation of a legation. Given that the Korean Empire effectively forfeited its diplomatic sovereignty following the Eulsa Treaty in AD 1905 and was formally annexed by Japan in AD 1910, an individual who was both a senior Italian diplomat and a simultaneous recipient of the Order of the Eight Trigrams (Third Class) and the Order of the Taeguk (Fifth Class) could only have been a core member of the Italian Legation stationed in Seoul between AD 1902 and AD 1907.

Whilst relevant figures are not uncommon, none possess a biography and lifespan that align perfectly with these parameters; however, one prominent individual may be cited as a representative archetype:

Attilio Monaco was born in AD 1858. Upon entering the diplomatic service, he held postings in the Balkans (such as Ragusa, modern-day Dubrovnik) and the Ottoman Empire. During his tenure as consul in Erzurum, located in eastern Turkey, he personally witnessed tumultuous historical events in the region. In June AD 1894, he married Gemma Cattalinich; their son, Adriano Camillo Monaco, would later follow his father’s path into the diplomatic corps. Following the formal establishment of diplomatic ties between Italy and the Korean Empire, Monaco was officially appointed as the Italian Minister Resident and Consul-General to the Korean Empire on 28 July AD 1902. He did not, however, arrive in Seoul immediately, during which interim period Naval Lieutenant Carlo Rossetti served as the acting consul. Monaco ultimately arrived in Seoul on 29 April AD 1903 and presented his credentials to Emperor Gojong on 6 May of the same year, officially assuming control of the legation’s operations. He was the first, and indeed the sole, Minister Resident dispatched by the Kingdom of Italy to the Korean Empire. Throughout his tenure, he endeavoured to develop economic and commercial relations between Italy and Korea, which included active negotiations to secure local gold mining concessions. Following the Russo-Japanese War in AD 1905, Japan compelled Korea to sign the Eulsa Treaty, stripping the Korean Empire of its diplomatic powers and leading to the progressive dissolution of foreign legations in Seoul, whereupon Monaco vacated his post and departed. Subsequently, he assumed consular roles in locations such as São Paulo, Brazil, and Shanghai, China. On 20 June AD 1912, Monaco officially retired; on 20 September of the same year, he was granted the honorary title of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary (Inviato straordinario e ministro plenipotenziario). He passed away in AD 1932.

Europe possesses a rich numismatic and phaleristic history; upon receiving an official decoration, recipients frequently commissioned private jewellers to manufacture miniature replicas for the convenience of public display and wear. Furthermore, following the demise of a recipient, the state typically required the deceased’s family to return the original official insignia; consequently, these miniature replicas served as cherished family heirlooms enabling subsequent generations to preserve their ancestor’s memory.

物件編號: M489

年代: 公元 19 至 20 世紀

材質: 黃金、銀鍍金、琺瑯

尺寸: 28.7 x 12.0 x 2.8 mm

重量: 16.65 g

來源: 坎比拍賣行 2025

這是一條以金質鍊子串連，總計9枚的迷你勳章組。這些勳章的材質為金質或銀鍍金。以地點計，頒授國橫跨歐亞非三洲總計11個國家，主要來自法國和其海外殖民地和保護國。

勳章組從左至右，分別如下：

若假設此迷你勳章組均為一人所獲授，其人最可能來自義大利，是一位義大利派駐遠東的高級外交官（如公使、參贊）或高階隨員（武官）。他在歐洲本土已累積相當資歷，隨後派駐東亞，同時或先後與大韓帝國、法屬印度支那有著外交往來。大韓帝國在公元1901年正式頒行「八卦勳章」，公元1902年與義大利王國正式建交並設立公使館。由於大韓帝國在公元1905年《乙巳條約》後實質喪失外交權、公元1910年正式被日本併吞，因此能同時獲得大韓帝國參等八卦勳章與五等太極勳章、且身為義大利高級外交官的人，只可能是在公元1902年至1907年間派駐首爾的義大利公使館核心成員。

相關人物並不少見，但未有於生卒年和個人經歷完全一致者，僅舉一例較出名者，作為典型：

阿蒂利奧·摩納哥，出生於公元1858年。步入外交界後，他曾在巴爾幹半島（如拉古薩/今杜布羅夫尼克）、鄂圖曼土耳其帝國等地任職。在土耳其東部的埃爾祖魯姆（Erzurum）擔任領事期間，他親歷了當地動盪的歷史事件。公元1894年6月，他與詹馬·卡塔利尼奇（Gemma Cattalinich）結婚，其子阿德里亞諾·卡米洛·摩納哥（Adriano Camillo Monaco）後來也追隨父親的腳步成為一名外交官。隨著義大利與大韓帝國正式建交，摩納哥於 1902年7月28日被正式任命為義大利駐大韓帝國常駐公使（Minister Resident）兼總領事。不過，他並未立刻抵達漢城，期間由海軍上尉卡洛·羅塞蒂（Carlo Rossetti）臨時代理領事事務。摩納哥最終於公元1903年4月29日抵達漢城，並於同年5月6日向高宗皇帝呈遞國書，正式接管公使館運作。他是義大利王國派駐大韓帝國的第一任、也是唯有一任的常駐公使。在任期間，他致力於開拓義、韓兩國的經濟與經貿關係，包括積極談判並爭取當地的金礦開採特許權。隨著公元1905年日俄戰爭後日本強迫韓國簽訂《乙巳條約》，大韓帝國的外交權遭到剝奪，各國駐韓公使館陸續撤除，摩納哥也隨之卸任撤離。此後，他陸續前往巴西聖保羅（São Paulo）以及中國上海等地擔任領事職務。公元1912年6月20日，摩納哥正式宣告退休；同年9月20日，他被授予「特命全權派遣公使（Inviato straordinario e ministro plenipotenziario）」的榮譽頭銜。他於公元1932年逝世。

歐洲擁有豐富的勳章歷史，授勳者獲得勳章之後，往往會委託民間珠寶商代為製造迷你複刻品，以方便授勳者對外展示和配戴。再來授勳者過世後，國家通常會要求遺族上繳勳章，故複刻品是得以供後人留念的傳家寶。