Item number: M557-2

Reference number: Borna Barac I#202-207; ODEC#150-153

Year: AD 1897-2025

Material: Gold and Enamel 

Provenance:

1. Leu Numismatik 2025

2. Reza Najafi Collection

This is a miniature version of the Belgian Order of the Crown (Ordre de la Couronne), the full-sized insignia of which was formally instituted by royal decree on 15 October AD 1897 by King Leopold II, Monarch of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Congo Free State. At its inception, the Order was primarily intended to recognise individuals who had rendered distinguished service during the exploration, colonisation, and administration of the Congo Free State. Contemporaneously, its conferment encompassed both Belgian nationals and foreign citizens, specifically rewarding those who demonstrated outstanding achievements in the advancement of African civilisation, literature, artistic creation, scientific research, commerce, industry, and engineering, whilst also being broadly applicable to the commendation of meritorious civil administrative and military service.

The badge of the Order is fashioned in the form of a five-armed, ten-pointed cross, with both the obverse and reverse of the five arms covered in gold-bordered pure white enamel, flanked in the angles by plain golden pencils of radiating rays. The badge is surmounted by a suspension mounting composed of a wreath of laurel and oak leaves enamelled in green. The obverse central medallion features a deep blue enamelled field charged with an applied Belgian royal crown, whilst the reverse central medallion likewise displays a deep blue enamelled ground bearing the royal cypher of the founder, Leopold II, delineated as a mirror-symmetrical back-to-back monogram of the letters ‘LL’ in gold script. The original standard riband of the Order is of a plain bluish-red (dark amaranth / maroon) colour.

In AD 1897, a decade after the foundation of the state, the region’s external trade volume had multiplied substantially, accompanied by the rapid expansion of rubber, ivory, and tropical agricultural exports, the imminent completion of the strategic Matadi–Stanley Pool railway line, and the defeat of slave-trading factions in the east by colonial forces, which facilitated the progressive establishment of a territorial administration, a regular judiciary, and medical-missionary networks. In order to demonstrate the purported achievements of advancing commerce and civic order in Africa to the international community—whilst partially obscuring the oppressive colonial governance within the Congo—and to bestow commensurate honours and remuneration upon the numerous European engineers, entrepreneurs, explorers, diplomats, and civil-military officials who ventured to Africa, Leopold II resolved to institute this honours system.

The Order of the Crown comprises a five-class hierarchy, ranked in descending order as Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, and Knight. Subordinate to these five classes, the Palms of the Order of the Crown in gold and silver tiers were instituted as a sixth class, alongside an affiliated medal in three grades—gold, silver, and bronze—bearing the motto ‘Work and Progress’ (Travail et Progrès), with military holders below the rank of officer receiving a regular annuity. The protocol for wearing the insignia strictly adheres to European traditions: the Grand Cross wears a broad sash with a bicoloured ten-pointed breast star; the Grand Officer wears a faceted five-armed silver breast star; the Commander suspends the badge from a necklet; the Officer wears the badge on a chest riband adorned with a rosette; and the Knight wears a silver badge on a plain chest riband without a rosette.

In AD 1908, following the formal cession of the Congo Free State to the Belgian state and its transition into a national colony, the Order of the Crown was fully incorporated into the Belgian national honours system. As its jurisdiction expanded from the overseas territories to metropolitan Belgium and international diplomatic relations, the Order progressively evolved into a core state decoration for commending the long-standing and eminent contributions of civil servants, diplomats, scholars, artists, and industrial leaders. During the two World Wars, the Order was also extensively conferred upon Allied military commanders and diplomatic representatives who performed acts of valour on Belgian battlefields or contributed to the liberation of the realm. Today, the Order of the Crown occupies the second-highest rank among the Belgian national orders of chivalry, surpassed only by the Order of Leopold.

物件編號: M557-2

參考書目編號: Borna Barac I#202-207; ODEC#150-153

年代: 公元 1897-2025 年

材質: 黃金、琺瑯 

來源:

1. Leu Numismatik 2025

2. 雷扎·納加菲舊藏

這是一枚比利時王冠勳章（Ordre de la Couronne）的迷你版，原章由剛果自由邦最高統治者兼比利時國王利奧波德二世於公元1897年10月15日頒布法令正式創設。該勳章在創立之初主要用於表彰在剛果自由邦開拓與治理時立有顯著功績之人士，在當代，其授予對象涵蓋比利時本國國民與外籍人士，專門獎勵在非洲文明推廣、文學、藝術創作、科學研究以及工商業與工程建設領域展現卓越成就者，同時亦普遍適用於表彰文職行政與軍事服役的傑出功勳。

該勳章章體為五臂的十角星造型，五臂正面與背面均覆以金邊純白琺瑯，各臂角隅間飾有平滑的金色放射狀光芒束。章體上方頂飾為月桂與橡樹葉冠，填以綠色琺瑯。正面中心圓蓋以深藍色琺瑯為底，中央鑲嵌比利時王冠；背面中心圓蓋同樣以深藍色琺瑯為底，中央飾有代表創立者利奧波德二世的皇家花押，為背對背鏡像對稱金色花體字母「LL」。勳章原標準綬帶應為栗紅色（或暗洋紅色）。

公元1897年，該地區在建國十年後對外貿易額激增數倍，橡膠、象牙與熱帶農產出口大幅擴張，馬塔迪至史丹利池的關鍵鐵路工程即將全線完工，且殖民軍隊在軍事行動中擊潰了東部奴隸販運勢力，逐步建立起領地行政、正規司法與醫療傳教網絡。為向國際社會誇耀其在非洲推動貿易與秩序的成果，同時略為掩蓋比利時在剛果的暴政，並給予大批遠赴非洲的歐洲工程師、企業家、探險家、外交官與軍政官員以相應的酬勞與榮譽，利奧波德二世遂決定設立該勳獎制度。

王冠勳章採五級制，由高至低分別為大十字級、大軍官級、指揮官級、軍官級與騎士級，並在此五級之外增設金、銀兩階的「王冠棕櫚飾章」作為第六等級，以及金、銀、銅三等刻有「工作與進步」格言的附屬獎章，軍官階級以下的軍職受勳者亦獲配定期年金津貼。各等級在佩戴規制上依循歐洲傳統，大十字級佩戴寬版大綬與雙色十角星章，大軍官級於胸前佩戴銀質五臂星章，指揮官級則為頸綬，軍官級於襟綬上綴有薔薇結，騎士級則佩戴銀章。

公元1908年，剛果自由邦正式移交予比利時政府管轄並改制為國家殖民地後，王冠勳章隨之完全納入比利時國家榮譽體系。隨著適用範圍由海外領地拓展至比利時本土與國際外交，該勳章逐漸演化為比利時表彰公務員、外交官、學者藝術家及產業領袖長期傑出貢獻的核心國家級勳賞；在兩次世界大戰期間，王冠勳章亦廣泛頒授給在比利時戰場立功或協助解放國家國土的各國盟軍將領與外交代表。今日，王冠勳章為比利時國家勳章中，僅次於利奧波德勳章者。