WW2 FRENCH COMMANDER GRADE LEGION OF HONOUR AWARD MEDAL 3RD REPUBLIC 1870-1951

Offered is an original French Commander grade award of the Legion of Honour, dating from the 3^rd Republic 1870-1951.

Features a 116mm high 3 piece set, including a five-pointed silver and white enamel Maltese cross with ball-tipped finials and with green enamel oak and laurel wreath between the arms, on green enamel oval oak and laurel wreath swivel suspension; the face with circular central gold medallion bearing a female head facing right crowned with corn and laurel, representative of the French Republic, encircled by a deep blue enamel ring bearing the inscription in gilt letters ‘REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE * 1870’; the reverse with a circular central gold medallion bearing the civil and military French tricolours in blue, white and red enamel, encircled by a deep blue enamel ring inscribed in gilt letters ‘HONNEUR ET PATRIE’ (Honour and Country). The cross is connected to a green enamelled wrath, itself being attached to the silver hallmarked neck ribbon suspender, which has the red ribbon correctly looped through, retaining neck ties. Overall an impressive piece.

The Ordre Royal, Imperial et National de la Legion d’Honneur was established by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 May 1802 to be awarded for outstanding civil or military service to France. It has survived Empire, restoration of the Monarchy and five Republics.

There have been at least a dozen major changes to the insignia and, indeed, the political history of the past 200 years of France may be traced on them. Since the suppression of the Ordre Militaire de Saint-Louis in 1830, the Ordre de la Legion d’Honneur has been France’s premier order.

This good-quality example is from the period 1870 to 1951.