Knight of the Ottoman Order of the Crescent

Embroidered star of a Knight of the Ottoman Order of the Crescent belonging to Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805). The Sultan of Turkey, Selim III, founded the Order of the Crescent in 1799 and Nelson was the first to receive it for his victory at the Nile. Nelson wore one of these replica stars of the order constantly on his uniform coats.

The silver radiant star is of lozenge shape, embroidered in silver thread with a star and crescent in the centre. The Order of the Crescent was intended to be worn with the crescent to the left of the star, but is sewn upside-down on Nelson's Trafalgar coat and two of his other surviving coats, as well as being shown upside-down in the portrait of Nelson by Arthur Devis.

Object Details

ID: REL0120
Collection: Relics
Type: Star
Display location: Not on display
Date made: circa 1798
People: Nelson, Horatio
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection
Measurements: Overall: 115 x 85 mm