Poland, Congress Kingdom, Order of St. Stanislaus, 4th Class breast badge, 32 x 32mm., gold and enamel, unmarked, in fitted red leather case, a paper label on the base of the case reads, ‘S.F.’, loss of enamel to central wreaths, otherwise good very fine, scarce £3000-4000

The Order was established by King Stanislaus II Augustus on 7 May 1765 and named in honour of St. Stanislaus the 11th Century Bishop of Krakov. Instituted as a single class order, it was awarded to the end of the Polish Kingdom in 1795 and during the period of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, 1807-13. The Order was retained during the period of the ‘Congress Kingdom’, 1815-31, when Russian Tsar Alexander I held the title of ‘King of Poland’. By the statutes of 1 December 1815 the Order was to be awarded in four classes to deserving Polish nationals. After the Polish Insurrection of 1831 the Order was absorbed into the Russian honours system, modified, and from 1839 onwards, awarded in three classes.