Belgium: Order of Leopold II, Grand Cross Grade, post-1951 issue bearing the Belgian motto in both French and Flemis, comprising sash badge and breast star, silver, silver-gilt and enamels, with fill length of sash ribbon, together with lapel rosette device, and housed in its presentation case by Van Larebeke of Bruxelles. Attributed to Dr Carl Bobleter, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs at the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Austria.
Condition: enamel work mostly good, overall Nearly Extremely Fine.
Provenance: acquired from a member of the recipient’s family.
Dr Carl Heinz Bobleter, was a prominent Austrian Diplomat, who held various ambassadorial roles during the 1950s-1970s, and in a position that specifically represented Austria’s interest in international economic matters, he was the Ambassador of Austria to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development between 1958 and 1964. He was later State Secretary at the Foreign Ministry and the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Austria, notably speaking at the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in April 1967.
The order was created by King Leopold II on 24 August 1900, destined to recognise exceptional military and civilian service to the Congo, of which he was sovereign. In 1908 when the Congo became a Belgian Colony, the order became an order of the Kingdom of Belgium and was awarded for service in either country. After 1951, the Belgian motto appears in both French and Flemish.
