{"product_id":"prussian-order-of-the-red-eagle-4th-class-cross-ribbon-roter-adler-orden","title":"Prussian Order of the Red Eagle 4th Class Cross Ribbon Roter Adler Orden","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis is a Prussian Order of the Red Eagle (Roter Adlerorden), Fourth Class Cross (IV. Klasse Kreuz), the junior and most widely awarded grade of one of the Kingdom of Prussia's principal orders of merit, shown here obverse and reverse on its ribbon. The obverse center medallion bears the crowned red Brandenburg eagle grasping a green laurel branch on a white ground; the reverse center bears the crowned cypher FWR for Friedrich Wilhelm, the order's founder. The cross hangs from its original ribbon, white with an orange-terracotta stripe near each edge. The absence of crossed swords marks this as the civil award for merit. The cross measures approximately 1.5 inches (about 38 mm) across the arms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe cross is of the pattée form with flared arms and a raised, polished double-line border framing each arm. The arms are frosted silver and unenameled, which is the distinctive and correct construction of the Fourth Class: unlike the higher classes, whose arms are finished in white enamel, the Fourth Class cross was made in plain silver. The two center medallions are hand-painted fired enamel, with the eagle of the obverse and the crowned cypher of the reverse set beneath a smooth glazed surface, the correct period technique for these centers. The suspension is a ball fitting through which the ribbon passes. No maker's or silver-content mark is legible in the provided images.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Order of the Red Eagle was, after the Order of the Black Eagle, the second-highest order of the Prussian crown, awarded for distinguished service in civil and military life. The Fourth Class was the junior grade and became the most widely conferred, recognizing officers, officials, and civilians across the Kingdom and, after 1871, throughout the wider service of the German Empire under Prussian leadership.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe order's motto is Sincere et constanter (Latin: \"sincerely and steadfastly\"). The reverse cypher FWR stands for Fridericus Wilhelmus Rex, King Friedrich Wilhelm, under whom the order was established in its Prussian form. No engraved recipient name is present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn condition the cross is complete on its full original ribbon with good color, the white field bright and the orange-terracotta edge stripes clear. The hand-painted fired-enamel center medallions are intact and glossy under the glaze, with the obverse eagle painted in the free hand normal to these small hand-finished centers, and the reverse cypher legible. The silver arms are sound, with the honest patina expected of unenameled silver of age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFor the collector, the Order of the Red Eagle 4th Class is a cornerstone Imperial Prussian decoration and the grade through which most recipients first entered the order. This is a complete civil example on its original ribbon, with the plain silver arms and hand-painted enamel centers that are correct to the Fourth Class.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50228175569135,"sku":"05-80","price":395.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/05-80_1.jpg?v=1784854483","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/prussian-order-of-the-red-eagle-4th-class-cross-ribbon-roter-adler-orden","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}