Very rare and splendid plaque of a great cross knight order of skanderbeg. It is an important decoration issued in Albania during the period of Italian occupation. The Order was founded in 1925 by the then President of Albania Ahmed Bey Zogu (who will proclaim himself King of the Albanians on September 1, 1928, assuming the name of Zog I of Albania). The Order is dedicated to the Albanian national hero Giorgio Castriota Scanderbeg (1414-1507), who freed his country from Turkish domination. At the time of the foundation, the order presented four classes: Knight Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commendatore and Cavaliere. In 1939 Mussolini's Italy attacked and conquered the Kingdom of Albania, annexing it to the Italian colonial empire. In 1940 the order was changed and a fifth class was added: Official. From 1946, at the end of the Second World War, to 1990, Albania became an extremely isolationist, Stalinist and anti-revisionist national-communist state, led by the dictator. Enver Hoxha, from 1946 to 1985, and Ramiz Alia, until 1992. The Order changed totally, becoming only three classes and taking on the appearance of the classic stars of Soviet chivalric orders. After the fall of the communist regime, the Albania has created a new Order of Skanderbeg which is still conferred. Returning to our plate as shown by the photos and 'in excellent condition and all the glazes intact despite the seventy years passed finally the patina that I would call fantastic, in the back the brand of the manufacturer GARDINO SUCC CRAVANZOLA. museum piece