THE CIBRARIO COLLAR
Among the many orders and honors of knighthood that European sovereigns bestowed on their subjects between the 11th and 20th centuries, the Supreme Order of the 'Santissima Annunziata' deserves special mention. Founded in 1362 by Amadeus VI of Savoy, known as the Green Count, on the occasion of his sister Bianca’s marriage to Galeazzo II Visconti, it was originally called the Order of the Collar, and it was reserved for the most illustrious and faithful nobles. The aim was “to engender unity and fellowship among the powerful, so as to avoid private wars,” and the original statute required all bearers to be considered equals and to call each other “brother.”
The first insignia was a goldplated silver collar with the motto, fert, inside a ring with three Savoy knots. The Milites Collaris Sabaudiae were initially limited to fourteen, but that was later extended to fifteen by Amadeus VI, the first Grand Master, to honor the fifteen joys of the Virgin Mary. Formally, it was a dynastic order, meaning that it belonged to the heraldic patrimony of a royal house, whose sovereign, the lawful head, was the exclusive owner. Even in exile, a sovereign still continues to enjoy the jus collationis, i.e. the right to confer honors, a privilege that no authority can deprive him of, since it is a prerogative that belongs to him by right of blood.
The Order’s first statutes, imposed by Amadeus VI, were lost, but the statutes amended by Amadeus VIII in 1429 have been preserved. In these statutes it was decreed that the Knights of the Collar must “maintain, abide by, and procure the good of their master, the happiness of him and the gain of the state; they must help, serve, abet and advise him, anent any person, whoever it be.” The acolytes are called fellows and brothers, and on their behalf the count declares himself beholden to give advice, protection and favors, and the knights are held to act reciprocally. Amadeus also ordained that the Savoy rings on the collar be set, alternating, between the word fert and fifteen roses, in memory of the Golden Rose sent by Pope Urban V to Count Amadeus VI in 1364, when he received his crusader emblem. In 1518 Charles III of Savoy, known as Charles the Good, updated the ceremonial rules to resemble those of the Order of the Golden Fleece, instituted in 1430 by Philippe III of Burgundy. The name changed from the Order of the Collar to the Supreme Order of the 'Santissima Annunziata'. Thus was a medallion portraying the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary inserted into the empty space between the three love knots. In homage to the five holy wounds of Jesus Christ, he also decreed that the number of knights be raised to twenty. Duke Emanuel Philibert specified that to be admitted, a knight had to prove that his nobility went back at least five generations. In 1869 King Victor Emanuel decided that the Order could also accept people who were not noble by birth, but worthy of highest merit and service to the Crown or to Italy. In 1924 King Victor Emanuel III decreed that princes from the House of Savoy with paternal lineage up to the fourth degree, and also clergymen and foreigners, should not be counted towards the limit of twenty knights.
When a new knight was nominated, two collars were conferred, one called the Large Collar, of gold and enamel, to be worn only on special occasions, like Christmas and the Albertine Statute holiday. The other, called the Small Collar, was made of gold-plated silver and could be worn at will. It is important to underline that the Large Collars have always been the same ones, because, at the death of their bearers, lawfully they must be returned to the House of Savoy, which then bestows them again. Therefore, each collar has its own history spanning over the centuries, and its various owners are listed, in order, on a scroll on the box cover. At the time of investiture, the recipient may choose from whichever ones are available. The Small Collar, on the other hand, did not need be returned, and stayed in the knight’s family as a gift. Since the honorees normally were not very young, turnover was quite fast. For example, King Victor Emanuel appointed 106 knights in his seventeenyear reign. Between 1946 and 1983, Umberto II nominated 37 knights, eleven of whom were Italian. Only Italians could be decorated with the Large Collar; foreigners, even kings and emperors, could receive only the Small one. From 1362 to date there has been a total of 839 investitures.
Among the art and antiques put up for sale by Bolaffi Auction House on 25 September 2013, there was a Small Collar of the Annunciation, which, after a long bout of overbidding, was bought by the Accorsi-Ometto Museum of Turin. It had belonged to Count Luigi Cibrario (1802-1870), on whom it was bestowed by Victor Emanuel II on 25 March 1869 for his great political and cultural merits. An eclectic character, Cibrario became a member of the Academy of Science at the age of just 28 and was also an attentive archive scholar; he published numerous and fundamental volumes on Savoy historiography. He was later elected Senator in 1848, Finance Minister under the d’Azeglio government in 1852, and Minister of Public Education under the first Cavour government (1852-1855). When Piedmont entered the Crimean War, he took Cavour’s place as Foreign Minister. With a degree in law as well, he was named first honorary president of the Court of Appeals in 1856. The Collar betokened an important recognition for the Count, though awarded only a year before his death.
By Gianfranco Fina
The first insignia was a goldplated silver collar with the motto, fert, inside a ring with three Savoy knots. The Milites Collaris Sabaudiae were initially limited to fourteen, but that was later extended to fifteen by Amadeus VI, the first Grand Master, to honor the fifteen joys of the Virgin Mary. Formally, it was a dynastic order, meaning that it belonged to the heraldic patrimony of a royal house, whose sovereign, the lawful head, was the exclusive owner. Even in exile, a sovereign still continues to enjoy the jus collationis, i.e. the right to confer honors, a privilege that no authority can deprive him of, since it is a prerogative that belongs to him by right of blood.
The Order’s first statutes, imposed by Amadeus VI, were lost, but the statutes amended by Amadeus VIII in 1429 have been preserved. In these statutes it was decreed that the Knights of the Collar must “maintain, abide by, and procure the good of their master, the happiness of him and the gain of the state; they must help, serve, abet and advise him, anent any person, whoever it be.” The acolytes are called fellows and brothers, and on their behalf the count declares himself beholden to give advice, protection and favors, and the knights are held to act reciprocally. Amadeus also ordained that the Savoy rings on the collar be set, alternating, between the word fert and fifteen roses, in memory of the Golden Rose sent by Pope Urban V to Count Amadeus VI in 1364, when he received his crusader emblem. In 1518 Charles III of Savoy, known as Charles the Good, updated the ceremonial rules to resemble those of the Order of the Golden Fleece, instituted in 1430 by Philippe III of Burgundy. The name changed from the Order of the Collar to the Supreme Order of the 'Santissima Annunziata'. Thus was a medallion portraying the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary inserted into the empty space between the three love knots. In homage to the five holy wounds of Jesus Christ, he also decreed that the number of knights be raised to twenty. Duke Emanuel Philibert specified that to be admitted, a knight had to prove that his nobility went back at least five generations. In 1869 King Victor Emanuel decided that the Order could also accept people who were not noble by birth, but worthy of highest merit and service to the Crown or to Italy. In 1924 King Victor Emanuel III decreed that princes from the House of Savoy with paternal lineage up to the fourth degree, and also clergymen and foreigners, should not be counted towards the limit of twenty knights.
When a new knight was nominated, two collars were conferred, one called the Large Collar, of gold and enamel, to be worn only on special occasions, like Christmas and the Albertine Statute holiday. The other, called the Small Collar, was made of gold-plated silver and could be worn at will. It is important to underline that the Large Collars have always been the same ones, because, at the death of their bearers, lawfully they must be returned to the House of Savoy, which then bestows them again. Therefore, each collar has its own history spanning over the centuries, and its various owners are listed, in order, on a scroll on the box cover. At the time of investiture, the recipient may choose from whichever ones are available. The Small Collar, on the other hand, did not need be returned, and stayed in the knight’s family as a gift. Since the honorees normally were not very young, turnover was quite fast. For example, King Victor Emanuel appointed 106 knights in his seventeenyear reign. Between 1946 and 1983, Umberto II nominated 37 knights, eleven of whom were Italian. Only Italians could be decorated with the Large Collar; foreigners, even kings and emperors, could receive only the Small one. From 1362 to date there has been a total of 839 investitures.
Among the art and antiques put up for sale by Bolaffi Auction House on 25 September 2013, there was a Small Collar of the Annunciation, which, after a long bout of overbidding, was bought by the Accorsi-Ometto Museum of Turin. It had belonged to Count Luigi Cibrario (1802-1870), on whom it was bestowed by Victor Emanuel II on 25 March 1869 for his great political and cultural merits. An eclectic character, Cibrario became a member of the Academy of Science at the age of just 28 and was also an attentive archive scholar; he published numerous and fundamental volumes on Savoy historiography. He was later elected Senator in 1848, Finance Minister under the d’Azeglio government in 1852, and Minister of Public Education under the first Cavour government (1852-1855). When Piedmont entered the Crimean War, he took Cavour’s place as Foreign Minister. With a degree in law as well, he was named first honorary president of the Court of Appeals in 1856. The Collar betokened an important recognition for the Count, though awarded only a year before his death.
By Gianfranco Fina