New exhibitions at the Tallinn Museum of Orders of Knighthood

Guests from all over the world gathered on the 24.01.2020 at the Tallinn Museum of Orders of Knighthood as the museum celebrated 3 years since its official opening. Especially for this event, the curators of the Museum prepared the exhibition Treasures from King Street. The exhibition is set to last until May 15 and showcases along with the already known masterpieces new acquisitions, accumulated during the past 3 years and displayed at the museum for the first time.

Included in the exhibition is the unique badge of the Order of the White Eagle belonging to Peter the Great, presented to Peter by King Augustus the Strong of Poland in 1710. Other interesting historical pieces are the diamond-studded badge of the Starry Cross of Charlotte, Empress of Mexico, several orders of the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary, Charles I; the awards and marshal’s baton of Britain’s Field-Marshall Grenfell, the diamond badge and star of the Order of Alexander Nevsky presented by Nicholas II of Russia to Paul Deschanel, later president of France. A significant new addition was the ceremonial robes of the English Order of the Garter – the first royal order to be established and the one with the most unusual insignia – a garter – blue belt used to keep socks from falling down. Along with the traditional garter in blue velvet with the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense (Shame on him who thinks this evil) written in gold, visitors can also see the rare diamond-studded insignia.