International. Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order Of Saint John Of Jerusalem, Of Rhodes And Of Malta, I Class Grand Cross Case

(Italian: Sovrano militare ordine di Malta; Latin: Supremus Ordo Militaris Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani Rhodius et Melitensis). Instituted in 1099. Hardshelled design on both the lid and base, with a prominent rounded front, red pebbled cloth exterior on all six sides, a four-piece hessian Maltese Cross dyed in white ink, the individual pieces forming the cross cut into and placed within the centre of the lid, inside lid in white satin, padded and maker marked "TANFANI & BERTARELLI / OGGETTI SACRI / Via S. Chiara N.37-42 / ROMA" in gold-coloured ink, a white cardboard insert placed within the maroon satin base and housing a raised platform with two recessed medals beds, one for the Sash Badge and one for the Neck Badge, with voided areas above each badge for the accompanying sash and neck ribbon, single clasp closure, measuring 150 mm (w) x 362 mm (h) x 65 mm (d), crazing and wear evident at the junction of the arms of the Maltese Cross on the lid, along with very light wear along the bottom edge on the exterior, the interior particularly clean and without interruptions in the fabrics, near extremely fine.

Footnote: The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) or the Order of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious order traditionally of military, chivalrous and noble nature. The Order, often popularly referred to as the "Knights of Malta", was in existence certainly as long ago as the early years of the Twelfth Century and is still extant today. Originally based in Jerusalem, the Order moved to Tripoli following the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187 and to Rhodes by way of Cyprus after the fall of Acre in 1291. In 1522 Suleiman the Magnificent took Rhodes and the Order scattered. Charles V granted the Order the island of Malta and the Order settled here from 1530 to 1798 when Napoleon Bonaparte captured the island en route for Egypt. In 1834, the order established a new headquarters in Rome and took on its current humanitarian and ceremonial role with Grand Masters being appointed by the Pope.