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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.
Orders of Tuscany, Saint Stephen and Saint Joseph, Plate LXXXIII, 1844
$330
€295 · £250
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 right corner. Age toning, darker at the edges; handling soiling along the edges and scattered foxing in the margins. Printed image clean.
- Collection
- Uniforms & regiments
- Era
- 1816 to 1899, Empire and industry
- Stock no.
- BG-13055-92
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 with watercolor, shows six insignia of Tuscany. At the top left (1) is a gold rayed star bearing a red Maltese cross with gold foliage between the arms. At the top right (3) is a silver star of eight ball-tipped points, its oval center showing a standing robed figure with a staff. Below on the left (2) is a red Maltese cross with gold fleurs-de-lis between the arms, under a gold crown on a red ribbon: the cross of the Tuscan Order of Saint Stephen. On the right (4) is a white-enameled cross with red rays between the arms and a gold oval center showing the same figure, under a crown on a red and white ribbon, with its reverse center drawn beneath. At the foot two medals hang from one red and white ribbon: a gold medal (6) with a crown over crossed swords and a shield in a laurel wreath, and a silver medal (5) with a head in profile.
The running head reads "TOSCANE." (Tuscany) and the plate number "LXXXIII." The band of the star (3) and of the cross (4) is lettered "UEIQUE SIMILIS", the Latin motto Ubique similis (everywhere the same) with the B cut as an E, and the reverse center of the cross reads "S.J. F 1807"; these identify the Order of Saint Joseph. Medal 6 shows an F and 1816. The silver medal (5) is lettered "FERDINANDO·III·A·D·A·GRAND·DI·TOSCANA", that is, Ferdinand III, Archduke of Austria, Grand Duke of Tuscany.
The plate comes from Ordres de Chevalerie et Marques d'Honneur (Orders of Chivalry and Marks of Honor), published by Auguste Wahlen and issued in Brussels in 1844 by the Librairie Historique-Artistique, rue de Schaerbeek, 12. Its 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 orders of Prussia, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Hanover, Greece, the Roman States, Saxe-Coburg and Brazil.
The strong reds frame well with a cream mount.
Condition: Light wear to the bottom right corner. Age toning, darker at the edges; handling soiling along the edges and scattered foxing in the margins. Printed image 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.
