Royal insignia

Kings, Queens, Emperors, Princes and Republics have from Biblical times rewarded their citizens and foreign friends with tokens of gratitude. Since the Crusades these have gradually developed into an institutionalized form of knighthood, which bound subjects to their rulers and cemented alliances. From the 14th century these awards have been associated with insignia. Collars, badges, stars and, uniquely in England, a garter became symbols of an Order. Made of gold and silver, enamelled and in some cases ornately encrusted with precious stones, the pieces have been a foil for the jeweller's art. The British Royal Collection has the most extensive holdings of insignia in the world - not only the wide array of British orders but also the foreign orders of royal relatives, friends and diplomatic allies. Orders from over thirty countries are here represented and discussed. Each one has been specially photographed in colour for this book and all are shown full size. Most pieces date from the 18th and 19th centuries, earlier pieces having been broken up as fashions changed and the need for the stones for other jewellery dictated. Stephen Patterson also shows how the practices of giving orders, with their roots in Christian chivalry, could be adopted by the non-Christian monarchies of Africa and Asia as well as the new monarchies of the Americas, particularly Brazil and Hawaii.