Medal of the Pontifical Order of Pius IX. Pontifical State, ca. 1847 - onwards.

Medal of the Pontifical Order of Pius IX. Pontifical State, ca. 1847 - onwards.
In 14 Kt. gold, blue and white vitreous enamel, silver (embossed base).
Enameled, embossed and engraved gold work.
Weight: 48,59 g.
Measurements: 7,5 x 6,5 cm (diameter).

This pontifical decoration, belonging to the Order of Pius IX (Ordine Piano), was instituted by Pope Pius IX on June 17, 1847 in recognition of distinguished merits, both civil and ecclesiastical, of individuals in the service of the Papal State or the Catholic Church. The order quickly became one of the Vatican's highest distinctions, and even today is awarded to laymen and clerics, including heads of state and ambassadors.

The medal, made of gold and translucent blue and white enamel, features a radiate shape composed of eight blue enameled points interspersed with beams of golden rays, evoking a star or heraldic flower. In the center of the piece is a white disk surrounded by a blue ring with the Latin legend: "VIRTUTI ET MERITO" ("To virtue and merit"), and in the core of the central medallion can be read the inscription: "PIUS IX", in gold letters on a white background, identifying the pope founder of the order.

The combination of gold and enamel, together with the precision of the goldsmith's work, reveals a high technical level, consistent with the luxury religious manufactures of the 19th century associated with the Vatican environment. It is very likely that this piece was produced by one of the papal workshops or by a Roman goldsmith linked to the Holy See.

The design follows a typically neoclassical visual language, influenced by European heraldry, and embodies the ideals of nobility, honor and service to the pontiff. The medals of this order can have different grades (Knight, Commander, Grand Cross, etc.), although this specific piece, for its format and material luxury, seems to correspond to a high grade, possibly Grand Cross, used as part of the set of insignia worn on official occasions.

As a symbol of pontifical recognition, this medal is not only an object of undoubted artistic and material value, but also a historical document of the political and religious climate of the mid-nineteenth century, a time when the papacy sought to reinforce its moral authority in the midst of the transformation of the Italian political map prior to unification.