Enrica Medugno
Senior Sale Coordinator
Lot 210
A first class set of the Order of the Durrani Empire presented to Colonel Sir Claude Martine Wade (1794-1861) Afghanistan, circa 1837(2)
23 May 2023, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£8,000 - £12,000
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Oliver White
Head of Department
A first class set of the Order of the Durrani Empire presented to Colonel Sir Claude Martine Wade (1794-1861)
Afghanistan, circa 1837
Afghanistan, circa 1837
comprising a medal and star, the star with central roundel inscription-filled roundel decorated in green and blue enamel, the silver body with overlaid gilt eight-pointed Maltese cross and two crossed swords, set with diamonds on each arm of the cross, a band of imitation pearls around the centre; the medal with similar roundel surrounded by imitation pearls on a gilt Maltese cross, red and green ribbon
the star 9.4 cm. diam.(2)
the star 9.4 cm. diam.(2)
Footnotes
Provenance
Colonel Sir Claude Martine Wade, thence by descent.
Christie's, Art of the Islamic Worlds including Oriental Rugs and Carpets, 28 October 2020, lot 87.
Sir Claude, born in Bengal as the son of a Lieutenant Colonel, joined the army of the East India Company in 1809, following in his father's footsteps. He was appointed as the Diplomatic Agent in Ludhiana in 1823, where he acted as the main liaison between the British Viceroy and Maharaja Ranjit Singh. A close friendship developed between Sir Claude and the Maharaja during this time. Sir Claude played a significant role in the restoration of Shah Shuja to the throne of Afghanistan. In 1839, he was entrusted with the command of a secondary force, mostly composed of Sikhs, which was to take Shahzadeh Timur, Shah Shuja's son and heir, and advance through the Khyber Pass. The Pass was fiercely guarded by local tribes, but Sir Claude succeeded in his mission and was promoted, knighted, and awarded the Companionship of the Order of the Bath for his achievements. Both Ranjit Singh and Shah Shuja established orders and decorations to honor Europeans who had assisted them, and Sir Claude received presentation swords from both. Maharaja Ranjit Singh also awarded him the Auspicious Star of the Punjab, while Shah Shuja's gift was the Order of Merit First Class of the Durrani Empire, of which only seven examples exist. Sir Claude later fell out of favour with the Sikhs and was posted to Indore as Resident. He missed the disastrous retreat from Kabul in which the entire British Army was massacred, including his great friend Captain Thomas Nicholl of the Bengal Horse Artillery, who had asked Sir Claude to look after his children if anything happened to him. Sir Claude fulfilled his promise by marrying Captain Nicholl's youngest daughter, Jane. These medals were subsequently passed down through their family and were sold by Sir Claude's descendants at Christie's in 2020.