Made from silver and enamel with a golden center medallion plate. All translucid enameled parts are hand detailed creating that known sparkle. As usual there is chipping on the blue enamel on various cross arms. Avers applications are separately attached to the silver star body. Makers plaque from Eduard Quellhorst on the reverse. Double needle for wear.
Very nice and rare star.
Condition
1-
Historical information
Award period
1729 - 1918
OEK
Institution date
Instituted by
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Prince Elector Karl Albrecht of Bavaria founded the Military House Order of St. George with approval from Pope Benedict XIII. on March 18, 1728. He positioned the new order next to the St. Hubert Order within the Bavarian Order system to create equality between the Bavarian and the pfälzer houses of the Wittelsbach families.
Proof of royal heritage had to be tested to become a member of the order. The contender had to show that the lines through mother and father were of pure royal descent for 300 years running. This trumped the Maltese order and created the purest form of a selection to a royal order within all European orders.
On April 24, 1729, the first knighthood ceremony was performed at the “Frauenkirche” (Church of our Lady) in Munich. Karl Albrecht was made Grand Master of the Order. 17 contenders were knighted during the ceremony. Additional qualifications were to be at least 21 years of age, had traveled outside of Germany, or served in the war. They further had to be at least the rank of a captain or equivalent within the civil service hierarchy.
By statute, there was to be elected 6 grand crosses, 12 Commander into the ranks of the members of the capital of the order. Knight had no voting rights. During the timeframe from 1729 to 1889, the order had 422 members in total.
The order is still being awarded today by the acting head of the house of Wittelsbach.
The avers of the cross of the order is of blue enamel with a white border, framed in gold with golden orbs on each cross tip. In between the arms of the cross are gold-framed blue enameled rhombuses with white borders and golden orbs. Those rhombuses show one of each golden letter, as V.I.B.I (Virgini Immaculate Bavaria Immaculata). The golden medallion shows on the avers the immaculate conception within a four-segmented white medallion ring. The reverse is identical in design, yet red enameled. The still blue enameled rhombuses show the letters I.V.P.F. (Iustus Ut Palma Florebit). The golden reverse medallion shows the patron St. Georg fighting the dragon. The cross is suspended from an open-work shield held by a lion head.
The star is designed in the shape of a maltese cross, blue enameled with a silver frame around it. Within the cross, arms are blue and white enameled rhombuses. The medallion is white with a red enameled greek cross.
The collar of the order consists of 3 different alternating links. The so-called lion liks shows two golden facing lions holding a white enameled pillar with imperial orb. The left lion holds a white enameled torch, the right lion has a golden sword with a blue enameled blade. The rhombus link consists of two blue and white enameled bavarian rhombuses. At last, the motto links consist of a plate framed by two golden bavarian crowns that are framed by red enameled flames. The links spell out in golden capital letters the motto: “IN FIDE JUSTITIA ET FORTITUDINE”.
