Eight-pointed silver-edged green enamel star, each arm with a concave end and two ball-tipped finials, the bases of the arms intertwined, on plaited suspension; the face with a circular central white enamel medallion bearing the raised intertwined silver letters ‘A’ and ‘L’ (for Arts and Letters) encircled by a silver ring inscribed ‘REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE’; the reverse with a circular central white enamel medallion bearing a raised silver laurel-crowned female head representative of the French Republic and encircled by a silver ring inscribed ‘ORDRE DES ARTS ET DES LETTRES’; silver assay marks on the edge of the base; small imperfection in the white enamel medallion of the face; on original ribbon and in original case of issue, the edges slightly scuffed. The Order was created on 2 May 1957 to recognise distinguished literary and artistic achievement and the promotion of French arts and letters to a wider world. It is awarded by the Minister of Cultural Affairs guided by the Council of the Order which comprises the directors of the ministry and ten eminent personages from the literary and artistic world. It is notable that this Order was one of just four specialised orders (along with the Academic Palms, Order of Agricultural Merit and Order of Maritime Merit) that were not replaced by the National Order of Merit in 1963, testifying to the signal importance given by the French nation to its arts and literature.
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