Gold and enamel badge and silk sash. The Grand Cross of the Order of St Ferdinand and of Merit, conferred on Nelson in 1800, by Ferdinand IV, King of the Two Sicilies, to mark the restoration of his kingdom. The badge, which is on its original ribbon, survived the theft of the Nelson relics from the Painted Hall of Greenwich Hospital in 1900. The Order depicts St Ferdinand in regal robe and mantle and is surrounded by six bundles of golden rays and six Bourbon lilies surmounted by a royal crown. The sash, which was worn across the right shoulder, has faded in colour from the original dark blue with red borders - the colours of the royal house.