Foreign Orders & Decorations - Denmark : Elephants - Order.
Medal with cipher King Christian V (1670 - 1699). The Order of the Elephant in gold and enamel. On a beautifully stitched original sash of fine light blue moiré silk from the 19th century. Accompanied by an old paper envelope with a handwritten inscription in ink: "Royal Danish Order of the Elephant / from left to right". The fully carved elephant is white enamelled and painted with coloured enamel. The tusks are polished gold. Eyes and other details in finest polychrome enamel. The separately applied cross on the front is set with 5 cut diamonds in silver, each approx. 0.5 carat. The tower is mounted separately on a gold plate and secured to the base with 4 pins. The bricks and the gate of the tower are painted in fine enamel. On the large circular ribbon ring to hang on the medal chain or to attach to the wing. A silver Moor with a spear sits on the neck as leader of the elephant. On the front of the figure is a rectangular cut diamond on a small gold plate. The elephant's saddle and bridle are in blue enamel with the reverse hand-painted crowned cipher 'C5' King Christian V (1670 - 1699). The elephant's feet are polished gold and finely chased. The Order of the Elephant is the highest and oldest Danish order of chivalry. A predecessor order, the Brotherhood of the Mother of God, was founded by King Christian I around 1460 and approved by the Pope. As this brotherhood was active in ecclesiastical matters, the king had the order confirmed by bulls from Pope Pius II (1462) and Pope Sixtus IV (1474). At that time, the order's chain featured an image of the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, while the chain itself featured elephants and towers. After the Reformation, the order was suspended until 1580, when it was renewed by King Frederick II. The elephant, taken from the chain of the previous order, was chosen as the new symbol of the order. A fundamental change was made by King Christian V, who issued new statutes for the Order of the Elephant in 1693. The number of knights was reduced from 50 to 30, but the princes of the royal house were not counted as knights by birth. The Order of the Elephant is one of the most exclusive and prestigious secular orders of chivalry. Between 1580 and 2020, the Order of the Elephant was awarded to around 580 people. Today it is almost exclusively awarded to members of the Royal Family and foreign heads of state. The Queen of Denmark alone, as Mistress of the Order, decides on the awarding of the Order. The medals, which must be returned after the death of the recipient, are always reworked and bear the cipher of the reigning Danish monarch. All the medals in the possession of the Order therefore bear the cipher of Queen Margaret II, although there are also very early medals that have been returned or reworked over the centuries. Especially in earlier times, after the death of the Order of the Elephant, members of the family, most of whom came from royal families or the European high nobility, bought jewels from the Danish crown or received them as gifts from the Danish monarch. The medals acquired in this way bear the cipher of the Danish sovereign who awarded the medal. These privately acquired orders are particularly rare and usually completely untouched and unaltered. There are very few examples of such religious orders in private hands in the world. Our example has therefore remained in the family for centuries. This is how our copy remained in the family for centuries. An important medal of the Order and a rare opportunity to acquire an original.

Drawing from the 1693 Statutes.

We believe that this item, a Clenod, Order of the Elephant, Denmark, was made during the reign of Frederick IV (1699-1730). This item was previously owned by King Charles XV.
Please find a description of the item in Swedish below: The elephant is made of copper and enamelled with polychrome enamel. It has a white body and a red mouth, and its tusks are gilded. The item features black enamel detailing on the eyebrows, ears and toes. The eyes are shaped like round, rough-cut rock crystals, and there is a larger, square rock crystal on the forehead. The item is finished with a light blue coverlet and tail strap featuring a black pattern and gold border. On the right side, a Greek cross is formed by five square-cut rock crystals. On the left side, an indistinct, crowned name cipher is painted in black.
The morian is mounted on the elephant's head and features remnants of brown-black enamel on the body, a white skirt striped in red and blue, and a soldered wreath (turban) on the head.
The item features a gilded oval disc with a round tower, enamelled in white with red brick markings (repaired in darker red), and a gate in purple-brown colour, screwed to the elephant's back. The item is finished with a ring at the top and bottom, comprising square, rough-cut rock crystals. The lower ring contains 14 stones, of which 3 are brilliant-cut, while the upper ring contains 13 stones. All stones are set in a smooth setting.
The item is further decorated with a conical ring, point downwards, composed of triangles with points downwards, triangular openings, on the outside white enamel with a brick-red-brown scale decoration, five of the triangles with repairs. The interior of the cone features an arched enamelled plate, with a swivel ring situated at its centre. This ring boasts a rounded, gilded interior and a flat, white enamelled exterior, which is embellished with a vine pattern in black and red.
Date: Early 18th century
Medium: Quartz, copper, enamel (colour: white, light blue)
Dimensions: Weight: 69 g (2.43 oz) Length: 59 mm (2.32 in); Width: 28 mm (1.10 Collection Royal Armoury Blue pencil.svg (wikidata:Q1636176)
Accession number LRK 1782
Object history:
- Louise of Sweden, Queen of Denmark
- National History Museum Charles XV of Sweden-Norway
Exhibition history:
1748 - A separate Order of the Swedish Knights (1998-1999)
1748 - A separate Order of the Swedish Knights (1998) The basic exhibition of the Order of Prince Charles was held from 2005 to 2016.

Rare jewel of the order of the Elephant, Barokenelefanten, with the number of King Christian VII (1766-1808)Stylized elephant in white enameled gilded copper, the erect trunk in pink enamel, the eyes and forehead set with Rhine stones, on its back a fringed blue carpet decorated with flowers and scrolls, decorated on the right side with a large Greek cross set with five Rhine stones and on the left side with the painted number « C7 » under a large royal crown. It is topped with a tower decorated in enamel painting with pink stone masonry and a door, the base and top of the tower are set with a circle of small stones. It is topped with a swivel ring decorated with flowers. A small Moorish mahout holding a spearhead sits above his head. Accidents, shortages and usual restorationsH. 78 mm – L. 60 mm – l. 28 mm - Weight: 67.75 g.Denmark, last quarter of the 18th century

 

Provenance:-Old collections of the American Numismatic Society, New York, USA, scattered during the sale organized by Morton & Eden and Sotheby's in London on May 24 and 25, 2006, n° 456, described as being of private manufacture. The chapter of the Orders of the Royal Household of Denmark considering this order as private manufacture authorizes its sale.

 

1808-1839 Frederik VI. The badge consists of a small elephant in white enamelled gold and topped with a crowbar and a crenellated tower. This was added to the elephant from 1580 and appears on all later badges. It is decorated with seventy-four bright and seventy-eight roses. It bears on the cover the monogram of King Frederick VI of Denmark (1768-1839). Treated like a jewel, it was made in 1822 by Evrard Bapst, a jeweler of the Crown in France. This work mixes the preciousness of materials such as brilliants, enameled gold and rubies with the realism of the elephant and its crow. This white enameled gold pendant is the insignia of the Danish Order of the Elephant. Established in 1478 by King Christian I, this order still exists. The elephant is hung from a necklace during ceremonies. Necklaces and badges are very rare because they must be returned to order when the recipient dies. The one in the Louvre had been handed over to King Louis XVIII and was able to remain in France. The Order of the Elephant was officially created by King Christian I of Denmark (1448-1481) in 1478. He wanted to celebrate his son's marriage to the daughter of the Duke of Saxony. Christian V modified it in 1693 and gave it its present organization. To do this, he was inspired by the ceremonies of the French Order of the Holy Spirit. Since the Middle Ages, the wearing of an order of chivalry was the expression of allegiance to the prince, a symbol that also applied to the order of the Elephant. Primitive pendants no longer exist but are known to have been composed of a Virgin and Child. The elephant, considered the attribute of chastity, modesty, and devotion, eventually replaced this Marian iconography. Foreign princes and heads of state may be accepted into the Elephant Order. It was originally impossible to be a member of several orders, symbols of allegiance to a sovereign. The Napoleonic era upset these customs. The heads of state began exchanging orders to seal their alliances. Frederick VI and Napoleon I made such an exchange as early as 1808, claiming the Order of the Elephant and the Legion of Honor. It therefore became normal to bring foreign nations into line with a national order. After 1814, Talleyrand, Louis XVIII (whose insignia the Louvre retains), Charles X, and Duke Decazes, for example, in turn received the Order of the Elephant.

The origins of the highest order of Denmark – the Order of the Elephant – go back to the secular orders of knighthood founded in the 15th century. The legend has it that its creation is connected to the society of the Virgin that had existed already under Danish King Canute IV (1182-1202). The Order of the Elephant and the decoration of its insignia has to do with the coronation of Frederick II in 1559. The figurine of the golden elephant with a turret on its back, worn on a chain, became the new badge of the order. The elephant as an emblem of Denmark, and the origin of the order could be explained through the legend, which tells about Danish knights that participated in the crusade and their victory over Saracens with war- elephants. According to Christian mythology of the Middle Ages, elephant symbolized intelligence, strength, purity, and Jesus Christ himself. The depiction of an elephant with a turret on its back meant the inviolacy of the church, supported by faith.
There are two badges and a star of the Order of the Elephant in the collection of the Armoury Chamber. One of the badges is unique thanks to the preserved monogram of King Frederick VII, who ruled from 1848 to 1863. Similar badges without distinctive marks are kept in the collections of State Hermitage and State Historical Museums.
Baadges of the order of the elephant (small). Belonged to Tsesarevich Nocholas Alexandrovich
Denmark 1848-1863 Gold, precious metals, enamel, casting, stamping, Mounting,
Come from the storage house of the Moscow Jewellery Association in 1926.

The origins of the highest order of Denmark – the Order of the Elephant – go back to the secular orders of knighthood founded in the 15th century. The legend has it that its creation is connected to the society of the Virgin that had existed already under Danish King Canute IV (1182-1202). The Order of the Elephant and the decoration of its insignia has to do with the coronation of Frederick II in 1559. The figurine of the golden elephant with a turret on its back, worn on a chain, became the new badge of the order. The elephant as an emblem of Denmark, and the origin of the order could be explained through the legend, which tells about Danish knights that participated in the crusade and their victory over Saracens with war- elephants. According to Christian mythology of the Middle Ages, elephant symbolized intelligence, strength, purity, and Jesus Christ himself. The depiction of an elephant with a turret on its back meant the inviolacy of the church, supported by faith.
There are two badges and a star of the Order of the Elephant in the collection of the Armoury Chamber. One of the badges is unique thanks to the preserved monogram of King Frederick VII, who ruled from 1848 to 1863. Similar badges without distinctive marks are kept in the collections of State Hermitage and State Historical Museums.
Baadges of the order of the elephant (small). Belonged to Tsesarevich Nocholas Alexandrovich
Denmark 1848-1863 Gold, precious metals, enamel, casting, stamping, Mounting,
Come from the storage house of the Moscow Jewellery Association in 1926.

Pendant of the Order of the Elephant – Gold, diamonds, and enamel – This insignia bears the imprint of the office of Copenhagen 1904.
This elefant belongs to Spada exhibited at the Musee de legion d'Honneur
King Christian X 1863-1906

Denmark, Copy: Order of the Elephant, Collector’s copy sash badge, in painted silver-gilt, with crystal cross on saddle cloth and single crystal on the elephant’s forehead, width 58mm, extremely fine
Morton & Eden auction June 11, 2015 at New Bond Street, United Kingdom