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Miniature silver-edged Greek (Geneva) cross quatrate on swivel crown suspension; the face with the crowned arms of Serbia in silver imposed centrally, the double-headed eagle with a white enamel escutcheon on its breast bearing a red enamel Greek (Geneva) cross; the reverse inscribed in silver with the date ‘1876’; height excluding suspension ring 32.72 (1.29 inches), diameter 19.63mm (0.77 inch); on original ribbon. The Decoration was instituted by the Serbian Red Cross and recognised by the Ministry of War on 7 (19) April 1877. The Decoration was amended in 1882 when Serbia became a kingdom, with the royal arms replacing the princely arms on the face. The Red Cross of Serbia was founded on 6 February 1876 in Belgrade on the initiative of Dr. Vladan Đorđjević. By 1885, the Society had over one hundred branches and during the war with Bulgaria it deployed in 45 hospitals, 37 field hospitals and a train. During World War I Serbia suffered grievously and the Red Cross was active both within Serbia and with the exiled Serbian forces, so that by 1918 it counted 30,000 active members. At the end of 1921, the Society was succeeded by the Red Cross Society of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (from 1929 Yugoslavia) and the Cross was no longer awarded. It was made by Rothe & Neffe in Vienna until the outbreak of World War I in 1914 when, with Serbia and Austria on opposing sides, manufacture was transferred to Arthus Bertrand of Paris and Huguenin Frères of Le Locle, Switzerland. A superb example of a rare miniature.
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