Order of Merit for Science and Art
Encyclopedia
The Order of Merit for Science and Art was established on 30 July 1873 by Duke Friedrich I
Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt
Frederick I was a German prince of the house of Ascania who ruled the Duchy of Anhalt from 1871 to 1904.-Early life:...

 of Anhalt
Anhalt
Anhalt was a sovereign county in Germany, located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe in Middle Germany. It now forms part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.- Dukes of Anhalt :...

. It was awarded to acknowledge and reward excellent and outstanding achievements in the field of science and art at home and abroad.

Order classes

First instituted in only one class, the order in 1912 was expanded to include a First Class, Second Class, and Third Class.

Decoration of the order

The badge of the first model from 1873–1905 was a high oval bronze gilt medal, surrounded by twenty-four pointed rays and is suspended by a crown from it's ribbon. In the center is the letter F (for Friedrich) in Gothic script
Gothic script
Gothic script may refer to:* Blackletter* Gothic alphabet* Schwabacher...

 and underneath is the semicircular inscription "Herzog von Anhalt" (Duke of Anhalt). On the back is the four-line inscription "Für Wissenschaft und Kunst" (For Science and Art) enclosed in an open top laurel wreath tied at the bottom.

The second model from 1905–1918 was of gold-plated bronze or silver for the third class. The medal instead of being surrounded by rays, it was surrounded by a dense laurel wreath. On the back of was the Anhalt coat of arms in the center encircled by the inscription "Für Wissenschaft und Kunst" (For Science and Art).

Originally, the order was worn suspended from a ribbon on the left chest. After 1905 when the first class was made larger, it was worn from the neck by men and by ladies as a bow on her left shoulder. The second and third class decorations were worn on a ribbon on the left chest. The ribbon was in three equal parts red, dark green and red, similar to the ribbon of the House Order of Albert the Bear
Order of Albert the Bear
The House Order of Albert the Bear was founded in 1836 by three dukes of Anhalt, Henry, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt, and Alexander Karl, Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg as a joint House Order.The namesake of the order, Albert I, was the first Margrave of Brandenburg from the...

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