Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Serbian Order of St. Sava and Queen Natalia Medal bestowed upon Louisa Hay, Mrs. Alexander Kerr

Serbia, Kingdom, Order of St Sava, 1st type, Commander’s neck badge, 80mm including crown suspension x 50mm, silver-gilt and enamel, Bishop with red robes, Royal cipher to reverse, unmarked, with neck riband, in by Rothe, Vienna, fitted case of issue; Queen Natalia Medal, First Class shoulder badge, 53mm x 33mm, silver-gilt, Cyrillic cipher at centre, unmarked, on lady’s bow riband, in fitted case of issue, about extremely fine (2) £700-£900

Louisa Hay, Mrs. ALexander Kerr (1806-1900) was an English composer and translator, who translated the History of Serbia and the Serbian Revolution into English in 1853, and was awarded the Serbian Order of St. Sava in 1886.

Sold together with a commemorative medal for the 500th Anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, 1389-1889, 41mm, bronze, with small ring suspension; a presentation Medallion from the Academy of Industry, Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Commerce, 50mm, bronze, the reverse engraved ‘Madame Kerr (Louisa) 1847’, unmounted; a bound presentation copy of The Coronal, a Collection of Songs compiled and set to music by Mrs. Alexander Kerr, and dedicated to H.R.H. The Princess Augusta, 41pp, leather bound, foxing and water damaged; Certificate appointing Mrs. Alexander Kerr a Life Member of the Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, dated 10 March 1858; a letter to the recipient from the Secretary to H.M. the King of Prussia, dated 27 June 1850; a fine colour portrait of the recipient, mounted in a contemporary gilt frame, and then all re-housed in a modern glazed display frame; and various other portraits and likenesses, and other ephemera.