Insignia of the Order of the Iron Crown - Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic), ca. 1805.

Badge of the Order of the Iron Crown - Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic), ca. 1805.
Kingdom of Italy, under the reign of Napoleon I.
In 14 kt. gold, with white, blue, green and red enamel.
Weight: 8.55 g.
Measurements: 5 x 3,50 cm.

Badge of the Order of the Iron Crown instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte on June 5, 1805, after his proclamation as King of Italy, in order to reward both civil and military merits in the context of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy.

The piece iconographically corresponds to a decoration of the rank of Knight, consisting of a pate cross enameled in white, with smooth edges and without corner pieces. Between the arms of the cross is intertwined a delicate golden cord, arranged in the form of a symmetrical double loop, characteristic of the Italian Napoleonic typology.

The obverse presents, in a central circular medallion, the image of a crowned black imperial eagle, emblem of the Napoleonic Empire, with wings spread out and carrying on its chest a red enameled shield, crossed in silver, symbol of the Kingdom of Italy. The background of the medallion is of golden color, decorated in radial form.

On the reverse, on a deep blue enameled background, the representation of the Iron Crown of Lombardy is displayed, ornamented with pearls and gems in enamel (green, red and white). This medieval crown, used by Napoleon during his coronation in Milan, is the eponymous symbol of the order and the central element of its reverse during this first Napoleonic period.

The suspension system consists of a simple gold ring held by a small spherical button, without crown or additional pin, typical of the early versions for knights, before the imperial reforms of 1809.