368 - PERSIA - ORDER OF THE LION AND THE SUN - SET FROM DA'UD EFFENDI MOLKO, FIRST "DRAGOMAN" TRANSLATOR OF THE IMPERIAL DIVAN, comprising:

PERSIA - ORDER OF THE LION AND THE SUN - SET FROM DA'UD EFFENDI MOLKO, FIRST "DRAGOMAN" TRANSLATOR OF THE IMPERIAL DIVAN, comprising: -A silver Commander’s medal, surmounted by a radiant trophy with six enameled gold rays (chips). Center painted with the lion and sun surrounded by a row of diamonds. 86 x 83 mm. Gross weight: 47 g. -A small plaque featuring a modified insignia. In silver, with enameled gold rays (some missing). Center painted with a lion and sun. Reverse side features a swing pin. 41 g Diameter: 70 mm. -Grand Cross sash in green moiré. Very good condition. Provenance: Da’ud Effendi Molko, then by descent Biography: Da’ud Effendi Molko (sometimes also referred to as Mollo or Molho). Chief translator at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Da’ud was born in Thessaloniki in 1845. Coming from a modest background, his family moved to Constantinople while he was still a child, and he attended elementary school at the Camondo Institute. He entered the service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the age of 18, rose to the position of chief translator during the reign of Sultan Abd al-Aziz, and retained that position when Abd al-Hamid II ascended the throne. Da’ud was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Nishan-i-Osmaniye, the Nishan-i-Medjidiye, and the Nishan-i-Imtiaz, as well as the Persian Order of the Sun and the Lion. He is also a Commander of the Legion of Honor, a recipient of the Order of the Prussian Crown, and a Grand Cross of the Polar Star. Biography from “Univers israélite,” January 15, 1897. Expert: Arnaud de Gouvion Saint-Cyr