KINGDOM OF SAXONY ORDER OF THE CROWN OF STREET, instituted in 1807 Knight's jewel belonging to Emperor Napoleon I and taken from his saloon car after the Battle of Waterloo Enamelled gold. Four-pointed cross with pale green enamelled double points, bordered by a white fillet. Each branch is linked to the other by chased gold finials. The reverse of the centre is marked in gold with the Founder King's cypher "FA" under a crown and surrounded by a frieze of green enamelled shamrocks. The reverse is gold-stamped with the order's motto "PROVIDENTIAE MEMOR" surrounded by a frieze of green enamelled shamrocks. Transverse suspension ring. Gathered green moire sash with green silk tie. Diameter (jewel): 7.5 cm - Gross weight: 32 g T.B. (Chips on three branches on obverse and reverse) First Empire period Provenance : - Belonged to Emperor Napoleon I. - Taken from the Emperor's sedan at Waterloo. - Given after the Battle of Waterloo by Marshal Blücher to Major-General Wilhem Benjamin van Panhuys, representing the Netherlands on Blücher's General Staff, and later to his descendants. - Acquired by Prince Louis II of Monaco. - Sale of the Napoleonic Collection of the Prince's Palace of Monaco (2nd sale, lot 123) The archives of the Napoleonic Museum in Monaco mention the translation of the certificate given by G.E.A. van Panhuys, son of General : "I, the undersigned G.E.A. van Panhuys, Lieutenant-General, retired, Aide-de-Camp in extraordinary service to H.M. the King of the Netherlands declare that: Only son of Major-General W.B. van Panhuys, during his lifetime Governor of Surinam (now Dutch Guiana), who died in 1816, has as his heir a part of the decorations which were found after the battle of Waterloo in the travelling carriage of Emperor Napoleon I, and which were given by Field Marshal Prince Blücher to the aforementioned Major General. The latter had taken part in the battles of Ligny and Waterloo alongside the Marshal as Commissioner for H.M. the King of the Netherlands. This gift was given to Major General van Panhuys, as can be seen from the copy of the King of Prussia's order dated 3 May 1815 and the letter from him dated 28 August 1815 in Paris. The following six decorations that had once belonged to Emperor Napoleon I came into the possession of General Van Panhuys. 1- Plaque of the Legion of Honour. 2- Plaque of the Danish Order of the Oliphant (sic) 3- Jewel of the Saxon Order of the Crown of the Street with the large green ribbon. 4- Plaque from the Württemberg Order of the Golden Eagle (Jagdorden) 5- Jewel of this order. 6- Plaque from the Baden Order "Pour le Mérite". A knight decoration of the Street Crown, given by the King of Saxony to the Emperor Napoleon I, in gold and enamel Commentary: Only eleven Frenchmen were decorated with the order, which was to be the most prestigious Saxon order until its demise in 1918. Napoleon I was knighted on 20 July 1807 by King Frederick Augustus of Saxony and decorated by the King in Dresden. He was made Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honour. In his memoirs, Lieutenant-General von Funck noted: "The effect was rather bizarre: the King's long green cord almost reached the Emperor's knees, while Frederick Augustus wore Napoleon's red cord very short, like a cartridge belt. Related work : - The plaque of the order, made by Biennais, was given by Blücher to Lieutenant von Wussow (1792-1887). It is kept in a private collection and exhibited at the Musée de la Légion d'honneur et des ordres de chevalerie. Exhibition and bibliography : - Jean Tulard (ed.), La Berline de Napoléon - Le mystère du Butin de Waterloo, reproduced in the catalogue, p.216-219, Albin Michel, 2012. Context: On the evening of 18 June 1815, the Empire collapsed. It was the end of an extraordinary adventure that ended with the general retreat of the French army to the field of Waterloo, sometimes in good order, sometimes in chaos, in the face of the victorious Anglo-Prussians. The victors were obsessed with capturing the French Emperor on the battlefield, but Napoleon eluded them. However, in the chaos on the Genappe causeway, the Prussians seized a large number of carriages. The Emperor's crews consisted of two carriages, plus three others belonging to the Emperor's household. In all, fourteen cars were mobilised for the Belgian campaign, some belonging to the Imperial Treasury, others to senior officers. Only nine returned from the campaign. Of the five cars taken, two belonged to Emperor Napoleon I, a sleeper and a pram: the myth of the "Berline de Waterloo" was born. A large number of the Emperor's personal items were taken from these carriages: weapons, pieces of his campaign silverware and, without doubt, the most symbolic part of the booty: his orders of chivalry. These last items represented everything that the Allies hated in Napoleon: the story of a young Corsican officer who had risen through merit and spoken as an equal to European sovereigns of old lineage. The fate of this booty is a history book in itself: some of the objects were given to General Blucher, including the Emperor's sword, hat and uniform, according to accounts of the time. Some items were kept by the officers who took part in the looting. Most of the orders of chivalry were kept in Berlin at the Zeughaus until the Second World War (the Order of the Street Crown was not among the items present, as it was given by General Blucher to Major General van Panhuys). The loot from the saloon car continued its tortuous history, as most of the items were transported from Germany to Moscow in May 1946, where they are now kept in the Moscow Historical Museum: "Vae Victis"! A few rare and exceptional items remain in private hands today, including our jewel of the Knight of the Street Crown (also known as the Saxon Crown).