Item number: M557-15

Reference number: Borna Brarc I#28

Year: AD 1882-1897

Material: Gold, Enamel

Provenance:

1. Leu Numismatik 2025

2. Reza Najafi Collection

This is a miniature version of the First Type of the Imperial Order of the Double Dragon, issued between the seventh and twenty-third years of the Guangxu reign (AD 1881 to AD 1897) and graded as Third Class, First Grade.

The overall contour of the insignia takes the form of a multi-petalled flower edged with blue enamel. Whilst the inner sections of the petals on the full-sized original were embellished with circular dots filled with red enamel, on this miniature piece they appear merely as hollow indentations. The finial atop the badge features an openwork cloud motif delineated by linear outlines. At the exact centre of the insignia rests a polished cabochon blue gemstone mounted in a twelve-pointed star-shaped collet, set against a ground of blue enamel and flanked by two symmetrical Chinese dragons that, contrary to the original decoration, are not executed in raised relief. The Chinese characters ‘御賜雙龍寶星’ (Imperial Order of the Double Dragon) that encircle the dragons on the full-sized badge have, in this miniature variant, been simplified into abstracted symbols. Along the upper and lower perimeters of the obverse, where the original was engraved respectively with the Manchu inscriptions ‘ᠠᠮᠪᠠ ᡩᠠᡳᠴᡳᠩ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ ᡳ’ (Bestowed by the Great Qing) and ‘ᡳᠯᠠᠨ ᠵᡝᡵᡤᡳ ᡠᠵᡠᡳ’ (Third Class, First Grade), this miniature exhibits numerous orthographical corruptions and omissions.

The reverse of the insignia is entirely smooth and unadorned, save for the exact centre which, mirroring the obverse, is set with a polished cabochon blue gemstone.

The inception of the Qing dynasty’s medals and orders occurred after the First Opium War, during which Europeans began to flood into China. The traditional foreign policies could no longer meet the demands of the time. Even with the establishment of the “Zongli Yamen,” a bureau specifically created to handle foreign affairs, there were still numerous conflicts and clashes due to differences in customs and protocols. The traditional Chinese methods of awarding “top-rank buttons” or issuing “imperial commendations” were insufficient to satisfy the foreign professionals employed in various fields such as military, education, and economics within the Qing dynasty. Consequently, to align with Western practises, the Qing dynasty developed its system of medals and orders, including the Order of the Double Dragon.

In the 6th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1881), the Zongli Yamen, feeling that the current system of rewards lacked clear guidelines and could cause unnecessary diplomatic misunderstandings, commissioned Zeng Jize, who was well-versed in European diplomatic affairs, to formulate the relevant regulations. After studying the medals systems of various European countries, Zeng Jize not only created comprehensive regulations but also personally designed illustrations for each grade of the Order of the Double Dragon. The following year, on December 19th, the court approved these designs. Consequently, collectors refer to the first edition of the Order of the Double Dragon as the “Guangxu 7th Year Edition.”

In April of the 34th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1908), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved a memorial to extend the awarding of the “The Order of the Double Dragon” beyond foreigners, to include Qing dynasty foreign affairs officials and emissaries sent abroad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs observed that the primary purpose of orders and decorations in Western countries was to honor their own nationals, whereas the Qing dynasty had done the opposite. During formal diplomatic occasions, foreigners would often wear formal attire adorned with all their awarded orders and decorations. However, Qing dynasty diplomats were frequently unable to wear their own national orders and decorations, having to wear only foreign ones instead. This reform was implemented to address this issue.

物件編號: M557-15

參考書目編號: Borna Brarc I#28

年代: 公元 1882-1897 年

材質: 黃金, 琺瑯

來源:

1. Leu Numismatik 2025

2. 雷扎·納加菲舊藏

這是一枚第一版雙龍寶星的迷你版，光緒7年至光緒23年(公元1881至1897年)發行，等級為三等一級。

寶星整體外觀為多瓣花，以藍色琺瑯勾邊，花瓣內側原章為填已紅色琺瑯的圓點，此迷你版中為凹洞。章體上方頂飾為勾勒線條的鏤空雲朵紋樣。寶星正中央有一枚光面的藍色寶石，鑲嵌座呈十二芒星，周圍以藍色琺瑯為底，兩側為對稱的中國龍，並未像原章一般使用浮雕。原章飛龍身周的漢字「御賜雙龍寶星」，於此迷你版中被簡略為抽象的符號。正面外圍的上下兩側，原章分別鐫刻「ᠠᠮᠪᠠ ᡩᠠᡳᠴᡳᠩ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ ᡳ」(大清御賜) 和「ᡳᠯᠠᠨ ᠵᡝᡵᡤᡳ ᡠᠵᡠᡳ」(三等第一) 滿文字樣，此迷你版則多有錯漏。

寶星的背面光平，僅正中央處如同正面，鑲有一枚光面的藍色寶石。

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，於是創造了清朝的勳章寶星制度。

光緒6年（公元1881年），總理各國事務衙門有感現行的獎賞缺乏明確獎勵章程，恐在外交帶來不必要的困擾和誤會，便委託熟稔歐洲外交事務的曾紀澤制定相關章程。曾紀澤在研究歐洲各國的獎章制度後，不僅制定完善的章程甚至親自作畫，繪製各個等級的寶星設計圖。隔年12月19日得到朝廷批准，自此收藏界將第一版的雙龍寶星冠以「光緒7年版」稱呼。

在光緒34年（公元1908年）4月經外務部奏准「雙龍寶星」今後的頒發不再僅限外國人，同時也頒發給清朝外務官員以及出洋各史。外務部認為西方各國設立的勳章，主要目的是頒發給本國人，然而清朝卻完全相反。在涉及外交正式場合時，外國人往往會穿著禮服，並佩戴自己獲得的所有勳章，然而清朝的外交官員，常無法配戴本國的勳章，只能配戴外國的勳章，因有此改革。