AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE 'ORDER OF THE REDEEMER' GROUP AND A GOLD AND ENAMEL MOURNING LOCKET WITH BYRON'S HAIR GIVEN TO SIR JAMES EMERSON TENNANT Greece, Royal Order of the Redeemer, 1st type (1833 - 62) A Grand Commander's set of insignia for the Royal Order of the Redeemer, consisting of a gold and enamel neck badge in the shape of a white cross inscribed in a circular green wreath of laurel and oak and topped by a gold crown, the front of the cross with profile head and Greek inscription 'OTHON BASILEUS TES ELLADOS', the back with white cross and Greek inscription, complete with cravat, 8.5cm; a silver, gold and enamel eight-pointed star brooch, the front with enamel decoration in blue, white and green and Greek inscription, the 'back signed 'R & J Garrand & Co., Goldsmiths, to the Queen', 7cm diam; a silver cross of war inscribed inside a circular wreath painted in green, the inscription 'OTHON BASILEUS TES ELLADOS' in Greek characters, with original gold pin and fabric, 3cm; and a gold, enamel and rock crystal locket or brooch preserving one lock of Lord Byron's hair, the front with inscription 'IN MEMORY OF' in gold Gothic characters, the back with dedication 'Byron from Count P. Gamba to James Emerson, Athens 1825', 2cm, the full set presented in its original fitted case. Provenance: Spink, London, 18 March 1997, lot 421. Count Gamba, mentioned in the inscription behind the locket, stayed very close to Byron on his last days in Missolonghi, whilst Sir James Emerson Tennant was an enthusiastic supporter of the Greek struggle for independence. He was the Officer in the Artillery of a 'foreign service'. This is the likely cross-over that led him to make the acquaintance of Lord Byron shortly before his death in Missolonghi. Sir James played a crucial role during the Earl Gray's administration at the time of the Reform Bill. His love for Greece yielded to his contribution in the Encyclopaedia Britannica covering various subjects, to include the history of modern Greece. ΟΘΟΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΣ ΤΕΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΟΘΟΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΣ ΤΕΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ