Miniature bronzed metal cross pattée with rays and laurel wreath between the arms, on laterally-pierced ball suspension; the face with a circular central medallion bearing the half-length portrait in relief of General-in-Chief Rafael Urdaneta, each of the arms decorated with a laurel wreath; the reverse with a circular central medallion bearing the arms of Sucre; diameter 16.09mm (0.63 inch);on original ribbon with brooch bar mounted for wear. The Order was created by the Revolutionary Junta in 1946 to recognise long and prestigious service in the national armed forces of Venezuela and to encourage military virtues and excellence amongst career military officers. Rafael José Urdaneta y Faría (1788-1845) was a leading military and political figure in the early 19th Century wars of independence against Spain and in the newly-independent Republic of Venezuela. The Order was made by the now-defunct firm of N.S. Meyer of New York.
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