A GEM-SET AND ENAMELLED GOLD ORDER OF MERIT PRESENTED BY MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH TO SIR CLAUDE MARTINE WADE

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This group of medals and swords come from the collection of Colonel Sir Claude Martine Wade (3 April 1794-21 October 1861). Born in Bengal, Sir Claude was the son of a Lieutenant Colonel. In 1809 he followed his father into the army of the East India Company and in 1823, as a Captain, he was appointed Diplomatic Agent in Ludhiana where he served as the chief link between the British Viceroy and Maharaja Ranjit Singh, with whom he struck up a warm relationship. Sir Claude played a major part in the restoration of Shah Shuja to the throne of Afghanistan and in 1839, whilst the main British/Sikh Army of the Indus advanced on Kabul via the Bolan Pass and Kandahar, Sir Claude was entrusted with the command of a secondary force, largely composed of Sikhs, which was to take Shah Shuja’s son and heir, Shahzadeh Timur with it and advance by way of the Khyber Pass which was hotly defended by local tribes. He succeeded and for this was promoted, Knighted and awarded Companionship of the Order of the Bath. Both Ranjit Singh and Shah Shuja instituted orders and decorations with which to reward Europeans who had assisted them. Sir Claude was given presentation swords by both while Maharaja Ranjit Singh awarded him the Auspicious Star of the Punjab (lot 86). Shah Shuja’s gift was the Durrani Empire’s Order of Merit First Class (lot 87) of which only seven examples are known to exist. Amongst the other recipients of this Order were Lord Auckland, the Viceroy, and Sir William Macnachten. Sir Claude later fell out of favour with the Sikhs and was posted instead as Resident at Indore. He thus missed the disastrous retreat from Kabul in which the entire British Army was massacred. Amongst those who perished was his great friend Captain Thomas Nicholl of the Bengal Horse Artillery. A widower, he had begged Sir Claude to look after his children should anything happen to him. Sir Claude did so by marrying Captain Nicholl’s youngest daughter Jane. These medals and swords were then passed down through their family and are sold by his descendants today.

A GEM-SET AND ENAMELLED GOLD ORDER OF MERIT PRESENTED BY MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH TO SIR CLAUDE MARTINE WADE

LAHORE, NORTH INDIA, DATED VS 189(4)/1838 AD

Details

A GEM-SET AND ENAMELLED GOLD ORDER OF MERIT PRESENTED BY MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH TO SIR CLAUDE MARTINE WADE
LAHORE, NORTH INDIA, DATED VS 189(4)/1838 AD
In the form of a radiating star, set with diamonds and green stones with a central seated portrait of a figure, probably Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the portrait in opaque pigments heightened with gold on ivory or paper, verso enamelled in floral designs surrounding a central inscription in gold nasta'liq on green ground, with an enamelled upper domed section and circular ring, and a cream and red ribbon
3 3/8in. (8.5cm.) high; 2in. (5cm.) wide

Engraved

'1894/ Sat Sri Akal Maharaja Ranjit Singh Bahadur Sir Maharaj adhiraj’

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Lot Essay

The official history of Ranjit Singh’s reign records the ruler’s curiosity concerning the medals worn by Sir Henry Fane when he arrived at the court in 1837 for the marriage of Nau N. Hal Singh (Suri, 1961, p.333 quoted in Stronge, 1999, p.229). General Allard, the French General in Ranjit Singh’s service, wore the Legion d’Honneur and all of these European decorations intrigued Ranjit Singh. Fane suggested that medals be introduced at court and it was decided to make three fixed awards - the highest for Princes, the second tier for ‘relatives and brotherhood’ of the Maharaja and the third for high dignitaries, colonels, and those providing honourable service. It is recorded that in April 1838, the European practice of awarding service medals was discussed at length with Captain Wade, to whom the medal offered here was awarded, and that this indirectly led to an order that henceforth the uniforms of all his platoons should have their own identifying mark (Stronge, 1999, p.229).

A very similar medal that was presented to Lord Auckland in 1838 and is now in the Sheesh Mahal Museum and Medal Gallery in Patiala, India (illustrated in Stronge, 1999, cat.no.90). Another, said to have been formerly owned by Duleep Singh, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv.no.IS.92-1981). An Order of Merit of Ranjit Singh sold at Rosebery’s, London, 22 October 2010, lot 454.

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