Imperial Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, first named, found - Lot 74

Imperial Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, first named, founded in 1698. INSIGNE in 14K (585°/°°) gold (56 zolotniki) featuring a champlevé polychrome-enameled nimbed Saint Andrew on his Cross engraved "S.A.P.R." in reserve, itself applied to the black-enameled double-headed eagle of the Russian Empire. The reverse features a polychrome enamelled phylactery with the order's motto "For Faith and Fidelity" in Cyrillic. The polychrome-enameled imperial crown, from which a blue-enameled ribbon emerges, forms a mobile hoop. Work of Julius Keibel with supplier's mark of the Imperial Court, St. Petersburg, before 1899. Height: 85 mm. Length: 65 mm. Gross weight: 70 g. (Small enamel chips on the motto and blue ribbon, legs re-soldered). History: The Imperial Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First is a Russian honorary order founded on August 30, 1698 by Peter the Great. The first Russian order, both in terms of the date of its creation under the reign of Peter I, and its place in the hierarchy of Russian orders, it has the distinction of being reserved for the most important figures in the state, both civil and military. Awarded just over a thousand times between 1699 and 1917 to non-members of the imperial family, it is extremely rare.