The Order of

Sanct Olaf

"Sanct Olafs Orden"

H.M. King Oscar II of Norway and Sweden

King 1872-1905

Motto: "For the Good of the Kindred Nations"

Born on January 21, 1829 in Stockholm and was given the names Oscar Fredrik. Parents: King Oscar I and Josefina of Leuchtenberg. Duke of Östergötland. King of Sweden and Norway upon the death of his brother on September 18, 1872. Crowned in Stockholm on May 12, 1873 and in the Cathedral of Trondheim on July 18, 1873. Deposed as King of Norway by the Norwegian Parliament on June 7, 1905. Died on December 8, 1907 at Stockholm's Palace.

King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway (1829-1907)

Sanct Olaf "Special Class" with Brilliants

King Oscar II as the Grand Master of the Order can be seen wearing an extremely rare Sanct Olaf Grand Cross badge, a "Special Class" studded with Brilliants (the center chest piece). 

(For more detail of the Grand Cross Star click on the thumbnail below)

Orders with Brilliants had a particular position since they became the property of the holder and could also be worn after a promotion to a higher class of the order. The bestowal of the "Special Class" with Brilliants was at the discretion of the King. Only 15-20 insignia of the Order are believed to have been bestowed with only three confirmed Knight Class awards per official records. Several of the Knight and Commander types were reportedly bestowed in the 1850-60's. The "Special Class" versions had brilliants/diamonds arranged in a circle around the center medallion of the badge instead of the national colored rings in blue and white enamel. Diamonds were also arranged with one in each of the ball tips of the cross arms and also several placed in the suspension crown. No "Special Class" versions are known to have been bestowed since King Oscar II.

The Sanct Olaf Brilliant version was similar to the versions of Sweden with the examples of the Order of the North Star "Special Class" with Diamonds. King Oscar II's Grand Cross of Sanct Olaf with Brilliants is kept in the Royal Swedish Collection at Stockholm Castle.

King Karl XV 1826-72

H.M. King Carl XV of Norway and Sweden

H.M. King 1859-1872

Motto: "With Law the Country Shall be Built"

Born on May 3, 1825 at Stockholm's Palace and was given the names Carl Ludvig Eugène. Parents: King Oscar I and Josefina of Leuchtenberg. Duke of Skåne. King of Sweden and Norway upon the death of his father on July 8, 1859. Crowned in Stockholm on May 3, 1860 and in the Cathedral of Trondheim on August 5, 1860. Died on September 18, 1872 in Malmö.

King Karl XV of Sweden and Norway (1826-72)

King Karl XV can be seen wearing what appears to be an embroidered version of the Grand Cross Star of Sanct Olaf on his chest. Embroidered versions of the Grand Cross and the Grand Commander stars of the Danish Orders of Dannebrog and the Elephant were used in the 1800's but very few if any of the Order of Sanct Olaf.

(For more detail of the Grand Cross Star click on the thumbnail below)

1860 Commander Badge made by Court Jeweler Carlman in Stockholm, Sweden. (From a private USA collection)

Commander with Star

1872 - 1881

A rare Commander with Star (class 1) of the Order of Sanct Olaf awarded by H.M. King Oscar II between 1872 - 1881. 

Commanders with Star (Class 1) were bestowed to 101 persons during 1872 - 1881. The awards were bestowed to 36 Norwegians, 22 Swedes and 43 Foreigners. (Source: "Norges og Sveriges Statskalender 1885"). Of the ones bestowed to Norwegians, 13 recipients were later promoted to the Grand Cross class. The prior issued insignia of the Commander were required returned to the Chancery of the Order upon the promotion to a higher class as required by the Statutes of the Order.

Per offical records for Norwegian recipients, only one Commander with Star was bestowed in 1872 (Military version) and none in 1878. For the period 1860 - 1882 a total of 75 Commanders Civil Class were bestowed and 17 Military Class to Norwegians. Additional awards were made to Swedes and Foreigners.

Very few Commanders with Star exist today from the early period of the Order, both since 1847 and from 1860 to 1905. Reportedly only a few sets are know among private collectors today with 4 Commander sets in Norway (1860 Badges+1882 Stars and 1882 Badges+1882 Stars); 1 set in Sweden (1860 Badge Military+1882 Star) in addition to 1 set in the USA (1860 Badge+1872 Star). A few sets are also believed to exist in Germany. 

These Commander sets are the center pieces in most private collections due to their scarcity representing the earliest history of the Norwegian Order of Sanct Olaf which was instituted in 1847. The high quality workmanship in 18 carat (750) gold, silver sterling (925 S) and enamel work represent the highest workmanship of Swedish and Norwegian jewelors in the 19th. century.

The 1860 Badge was made by Court Jeweler Carlman in Stockholm since J. Tostrup in Kristiania (Oslo) first became the official Court Jeweler in 1882. The Badge has no hallmarks as customary for early Swedish made insignia of the Order.

Measurements: 78.5mm (h) x 55.5mm (w) Weight: - gram        

1872-1881 Sanct Olaf Commander Star in silver repercé by Carlman. (From a private USA collection)

Swedish made Commander Star

1872 - 1881

The Commander Star is in silver repercé with gold centre and fretted cross arms with multiple pinholes and is a version reportedly issued from 1872 until 1881. This is confirmed by the fact that Commander Stars of the Swedish Orders of the North Star and the Sword, both were issued in 1872 with the same fretted cross arm design. The Order of Sanct Olaf was also manufactured by the same Swedish Court Jeweler Carlman in Stockholm. The cross arms of the Commander Star of Sanct Olaf are identical in scape and size to the Commander Star of the Order of the Sword, further confirming the Swedish design influence. Another element determining the Star to date prior to 1882 is that the raised center lion has only one foot on the ground compared to the slightly different version introduced in 1882 and until 1905 with both feet on the ground. The Star has no hallmarks as customary for early Swedish made insignia of the Order.

Measurements: 77mm (h) x 77mm (w) Weight: - gram

1860 Grand Cross badge Military division. (From a private British collection)

The History of the Order of Sanct Olaf 

1847 - 1906

• 1847-73: 3 classes, Grand Cross, Commander (with Star) and Knight. The name of the order was "Den norske Sanct Olafs Orden" (The Norwgian Order of Sanct Olaf) until 1906.
• 1855-60's: Some of the Knight and Commander types were bestowed with Brilliants. The brilliants were arranged in a circle around the Lion in the centre of the Cross instead of the normal rings in blue and white enamel. 
• 1873: Commander Class divided into two classes on July 19th, 1873, the day after the Coronation of King Oscar II in Trondheim. Commander 1st Class (with Star) and Commander 2nd. Class (without Star). The new Commander 2nd. Class was only awarded to foreigners until 1891, when the first one was awarded to a Norwegian recipient. 
• 1882: The Collar introduced as an additional insignia of the Order for the Grand Cross class. The Collar was automatically awarded with the Grand Cross from 1882 until 1905. 
• 1890: Knight 2nd class in silver introduced. From 1890 until 1906 only foreigners were awarded Knight 2nd. class. 
• 1906: The Collar was introduced as a separate class. The name of the Order changed to "Den Norske St. Olavs Orden" (The Norwegian Order of St. Olav).

An extremely rare Commander Badge Military type, probably French made version (Image courtesy of Mr. Yuri Yashnev, Russia)

1860 French made Commander Badge Military

The Commander Badge is made of 18 carat gold (750) in the shape of an eight pointed Malteser cross in white enamel with four "O-II"s (Oscar II) each with a crown on top located between the arms of the cross. A red globe with a raised golden lion holding an ax symbolizing the Norwegian Coat of Arms surrounded by three enamel rings in the national colors of Norway white, blue and white in combination with the red center globe. On top of the badge a crown with enamel dots in red, green and white and a Christian cross mounted on top.

The Badge is probably made by a jeweler i Paris, France prior to 1882, which can be recognized by the Crown with a green center stone and the aspect ratio of the Crown being wider that its height.

Measurements: 75mm (h) x 55mm (w) Weight: 33 gram

H.M. King Oscar I of Norway and Sweden

King 1844-1859

Motto: "Justice and Truth"

Born on July 4, 1799 in Paris and was given the names Joseph François Oscar. Parents: King Carl III Johan and Desideria. Duke of Södermanland on January, 26 1811. King of Sweden and Norway upon the death of his father on March 8, 1844. Crowned in Stockholm on September, 28 1844. Died on July 8, 1859 in Stockholm.

1847 Military Badge

The first version of Sanct Olaf

1847

Some characteristics of the insignia of the 1847 version:

Commander / Grand Cross Badge: The crossed sword blades of the military version are in gold and not blue enamel as for later versions. Another main difference is the simple suspension loop under the Crown compared to the more intricate detailed ones of the later versions. 

Knight: The cross arms are not covered in white enamel as for the later versions.

Grand Cross Star: The early influence from other Nordic countries in the design can be seen in the eight ray pattern similar to the Danish Order of Dannebrog. Subsequent versions changed to a diamond cut pattern in silver reperce for later versions.

Commander Star: The main characteristic is the "fish shell" pattern on the cross arms, which subsequently changed to a diamond cut pattern in silver reperce for later versions.

Other Characteristics: The Lion's posture differs from the 1860 and 1882 versions. The Lion's posture is very straight compared to the later versions. Another difference is in the feet with both feet on the ground for the 1847, only one foot on the ground for the 1860, and two feet again for the 1882 but with a different posture compared to the 1847.

Image source from the publication "De Nordiska Landrnas Riddarordnar III" by Ernst E. Areen and Sten Lewenhaupt, Sweden, 1942.

King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway (1826-72)

King Oscar I can be seen wearing the Star of the French Legion of Honor and the Danish Elephant Star. The Badge of the Order of Sanct Olaf is worn in a neck ribbon.

(For more detail of the Grand Cross Star click on the thumbnail below)

The first 25 years of the Order of Sanct Olaf and some historical notes 

• 1847-1882 awards: 2,236 awards of all classes of the Order. In 1882, a total of 1,445 members were still alive. Source: "N.R. Bull statistical document", author of the Norwegian State Calender.
• 1856 a record year for awards: Prince Louis Napoleon of France made a state visit to Norway in 1856 and a record number of bestowals were made totalling 30 foreign Knights but only 2 Norwegian and 3 Swedish.
• 1877 price for a Grand Cross Star: Kr. 80 ($11) made of gold and silver. Source: 1877 invoice from J. Tostrup, Christiania.   
• 1882 price for a regular Collar: 2 Collars of the Order of St. Olav (regular type in gilded bronze): Norwegian Kr. 100 + Kr. 150 ($14 + $20). Source: Invoice from Jeweler J. Tostrup, Christiania, January 17th, 1882.
• The 1881 price for a special version of the Collar: Kr. 1,000 (probably in gold and brilliants for the Grand Master, King Oscar II. In 1882 the Collar was introduced and awarded with the Grand Cross until 1905. Source: Invoice dated 1881.
• J. Tostrup as offical Court Jeweler from 1882: Mr. Christian Holst complains in a letter to Minister Vogt about the high prices charged by the Swedish jeweler Carlman for insignia of Sanct Olaf. The Swedish jeweler is suspected of exploiting the situation by charging higher prices based on the fact that the purchases were to a large extent financed by King Oscar II. Mr. Holst suggested that nicer orders for less could be bought from jewelers in Berlin, Germany; Vienna, Austria; or Paris, France. Shortly thereafter, the insignia were ordered more frequently from the Norwegian jeweler J. Tostrup in Christiania (Oslo)
• Source: Various documents from the 1850-1880's from the National Archives ("Riksarkivet") in Oslo. Courtesy of Mr. Kjetil Kvist, Norway.

1882 - 1905 Sanct Olaf Commander Star in silver repercé by J. Tostrup. (From a private Swedish collection)

Norwegian made Commander Star

1882 - 1905

The Commander Star is hallmarked on the reverse "J. Tostrup - Kristiania". The 1882 version is characterized by a different Coat of Arms (center lion) standing with both feet on the ground and the hallmark.  

Measurements: 77.4mm (h) x 77.4mm (w) Weight: 52 gram     

Two Rare Commander sets with Star in Case of Issue

The versions of 1872 and 1882 

The set to the left is made by Court Jeweler Carlman in Stockholm 1872 -1881 with no hallmarks as customary for early Swedish made versions. The set to the right made by J. Tostrup in Kristiania (Oslo) 1882 - 1905 with hallmark for the Star. The Badge is the 1860 version with no hallmarks. The main difference between the two stars are the Norwegian Coat of Arms with the different Lions and the hallmark, otherwise identical. 

Accounting Ledger for the Order of Sanct Olaf

Period: July 1st, 1877 - June 30th, 1878

Complients of Kjetil Kvist, Norway.