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Framed and on the wall
Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the piece could look; it is sold unframed unless the description says otherwise.
Great Britain, St Michael and St George Order, Plate XXXV, Wood Engraving, 1844
£230
$305 · €270
Original print, not a reproduction.
Ships worldwide from the Netherlands, flat, insured and tracked. 14-day returns.
- Date
- 1844
- Technique
- Wood Engraving
- Coloring
- Hand colored
- Condition
- Good. Light wear to the bottom left and top left corners. Age toning, darker at the edges; handling soiling along the edges and scattered foxing in the margins. Small light flecks in the image, otherwise clean.
- Collection
- Uniforms & regiments
- Era
- 1816 to 1899, Empire and industry
- Stock no.
- BG-13055-41
What the condition grades mean
- Excellent
- Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
- Very good
- Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
- Good
- Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
- Fair
- Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
This original antique wood engraving, colored by hand, shows insignia of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George. At upper left (15) is a breast star of silver rays carrying a red, gold-edged cross with gold rays between the arms; the center shows a winged figure in white trampling a green dragon-like form, within a blue ring lettered with the motto. At upper right (16) is a smaller silver star with the same red cross and center. The two badges in the middle row are white-enameled seven-armed stars edged in gold: one (17) hangs from a gold domed crown with the winged figure at its center, the other (18) from a royal crown with Saint George on a white horse slaying the dragon, both on blue and red ribbons. Across the foot runs a section of the gold collar (19), with a crown, winged lions, chain links, ciphers and white crosses.
The running head at upper left reads "GRANDE BRETAGNE." (Great Britain) and the plate number at upper right "XXXV."; the items are numbered 15 to 19. The blue ring of the star carries the Latin motto "AUSPICIUM. MELIORIS ÆVI", which translates as "token of a better age" and is the motto of this order.
The plate comes from Ordres de Chevalerie et Marques d'Honneur, published by Auguste Wahlen in Brussels by the Librairie Historique-Artistique, rue de Schaerbeek, 12, in 1844; the half title reads Histoire, costumes, décorations de tous les ordres de chevalerie, et marques d'honneur. Auguste Wahlen was the pen name of the Belgian writer Jean-François-Nicolas Loumyer (1801 to 1875), and the title page lists his own knighthoods in the orders of Prussia, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Hanover, Greece, the Roman States, Saxe-Coburg and Brazil. The illustrations are relief prints, wood engravings colored by hand with watercolor.
The plate suits a collection of British orders or a study hung with heraldic material.
Condition: Light wear to the bottom left and top left corners. Age toning, darker at the edges; handling soiling along the edges and scattered foxing in the margins. Small light flecks in the image, otherwise clean.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
