Italy: Order of Saint Maurice and Saint Lazarus, 5th Class, Knight Grade breast badge, gold and enamels, housed in a fitted presentation case by an unknown maker.
Condition: enamel work in good condition with no loss, scuffing to case in places, particularly the base, overall Good Very Fine.
The Order was established on 27 December 1816 by King Vittorio Emanuele of Sardinia, though its antecedents went back to the Middle Ages. It came to be awarded for outstanding service to Italy and was open equally to Italian and non-Italian citizens but was usually awarded only to Catholics. Although the Italian state has not recognised the Order since the abolition of the Italian monarchy at the end of World War II, it has continued to be awarded, first by King Umberto II in exile and then by Crown Prince Vittorio Emanuele on the grounds that this was not an Italian award but a Papal award that the heads of the Italian Royal Family awarded as Dukes of Savoy and thus Grand Masters of the Order.
