French Crown Jewels

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Crown Jewels of France, on display at the Louvre with the crown and diadem of Empress Eugénie to the left, the set of Queen Marie Amélie in the centre, and the crown of Louis XV to the right with the diadem of the Duchess of Angoulême
The Côte-de-Bretagne red spinel with the set of Queen Marie Amélie to the left, the bracelets and diadem of the Duchess of Angoulême in the centre and upper right and, between them, the set of Empress Josephine

The French Crown Jewels (French: Joyaux de la Couronne de France) and Regalia comprise the crowns, orb, sceptres, diadems and jewels that were symbols of Royal or Imperial power between 752 and 1870. These were worn by many Kings and Queens of France as well as Emperor Napoleon. The set was finally broken up, with most of it sold off in 1885 by the Third Republic. The surviving French Crown Jewels, principally a set of historic crowns, diadems and parures, are mainly on display in the Galerie d'Apollon of the Louvre, France's premier museum and former royal palace, together with the Regent Diamond, the Sancy Diamond and the 105-carat (21.0 g) Côte-de-Bretagne red spinel, carved into the form of a dragon. In addition, some gemstones and jewels (including the Emerald of Saint Louis, the Ruspoli sapphire and the diamond pins of Queen Marie Antoinette) are on display in the Treasury vault of the Mineralogy gallery in the National Museum of Natural History.

Use of the French crown jewels

The Crown of Charlemagne from 1271, used as the French coronation crown from 875 or 1590 to 1775.
Notre-Dame de Reims
, traditional location of the coronations of Kings of France.
The Crown of Napoleon created in 1804, Louvre.
coronation of Charles X
in 1825.

The Crown jewels comprise the instruments of the coronation, called the Regalia, and the jewels of the ruling family.

Since

Notre-Dame de Reims cathedral (apart from Louis VI and Henry IV, who were crowned in Orléans and Chartres). After the revolution, only Emperor Napoleon, Empress Joséphine and King Charles X
were crowned. Though not always used, a set of expensive crown jewels did exist and was augmented by various monarchs.

The Crown Jewels or Diamants de la Couronne de France, consisting of gemstones and jewellery,

Muséum national d'histoire naturelle and some of the most important jewels were bought back since 1953, which makes the collection still number more than 11,000 stones and pearls.[2]

The

coronation of Charles X
in 1825.

Regalia and jewels at the Louvre

Crown of Louis XV

Crown of Louis XV

Of about 20 documented royal crowns of the

Ancien Régime,[8] the only surviving one from the destructions of 1590 and 1793 is the crown of Louis XV.[9] The king had the Regent Diamond set in the lower part of the fleur-de-lis in the front of his crown, while eight of the famous Mazarin
diamonds that the cardinal had bequeathed to the French Crown are set in the other seven fleur-de-lis and in the circlet of the crown. Diamonds and colored gemstones are set between two rows of pearls on the circlet and are also set into the four arches that rise behind the fleur-de-lis and the eight ornamental points between the fleur-de-lis. At the junction of these four arches is a small pedestal surrounded by two rows of small diamonds on either side of a row of small pearls. Eight larger diamonds set between this pedestal and the arches give the effect of a sunburst when the crown is viewed from above. On the pedestal rises a double fleur-de-lis formed of nine large diamonds, including the Sancy Diamond which forms the central upper petal of this double fleur-de-lis. The gold brocade cap which lines the crown is also ornamented with large diamonds.

Since the Middle Ages, and previous to the making of this crown, the crowns of French kings were adorned with gemstones like on the

Basilica of St Denis
, on their deaths. This crown was also bequeathed to Saint Denis on the death of Louis XV, but not before the diamonds had been replaced with crystals, and it is on display presently in the Louvre, similarly set with crystals.

Crown of Napoleon I

The

Empress Josephine at the Château de Malmaison
.

Crown of Empress Eugénie

Crown of Empress Eugénie
Copy of Napoleon III's crown

The crown of Empress Eugénie[13] was created in 1855 by Gabriel Lemonnier for the World's fair, like the one of the Emperor which was destroyed in 1887. But Napoleon III finally chose not to be crowned.[14] Her diadem[15] by the same jeweller is on display in the Louvre with a large diamond brooch[16] by Alfred Bapst bearing two big Mazarin stones, as well as a large corsage diamond knot[17] and a pearl and diamond shoulder brooch,[18] both by François Kramer.

Coronation sword

Joyeuse, the legendary sword of Charlemagne, in the Louvre, Paris.

The sword used during the coronation of the kings of France is displayed at the Louvre museum with its 13th-century scabbard,[19] apart from the crown jewels. In the first part of the celebration, the king received the insignia of knighthood, consisting of spurs and the sword. Throughout the rest of the ceremony, the sword was entrusted to the "Connétable", who held it with the blade pointing upwards. The treasury of Saint-Denis possessed several medieval swords including the one of Saint Louis. According to legend the coronation sword is "Joyeuse", [42] Charlemagne's sword.[20] Its unusual build and ornamentation makes it difficult to date, but the parts probably date back from the 10th to 13th centuries. Some believe it might be much older, even manufactured before Charlemagne's reign.

The coronation swords of

Napoleon I and Charles X also were preserved in the Louvre museum, although the first was transferred to the Palace of Fontainebleau
with most of the preserved liturgical instruments and robes of the imperial ceremony and the latter stolen in 1976.

Coronation spurs

Some elements of the 12th to 16th centuries spurs were partially replaced for the coronation of

Napoleon I.[21]

Sceptre of Charles V

Statuette of Charlemagne on the sceptre of Charles V, 14th c., Louvre.

One of the few surviving pieces of the medieval French crown jewels is the sceptre that Charles V had made for the future coronation of his son, Charles VI, currently on display in the Louvre.[22] It is over five feet long, and at the top is a lily supporting a small statuette of Charlemagne.[23] This evocation of Charlemagne may also explain why this sceptre was included in the imperial regalia of Napoleon I.[24]

The sceptre of Dagobert I was stolen in 1795 during the Revolution.

Main de Justice (Hand of Justice)

The recreated "Hand of Justice", Louvre.

A typically French type of sceptre is the Main de Justice (Hand of Justice), which has as its

Saint Denis which surrounds the junction of the finial and the replaced rod, represents a deliberate 19th-century anachronism.[26]

Another sceptre, the Baton of Guillaume de Roquemont,[27] and the ring of Saint Louis[28] are at the Louvre.

Brooch of Saint Louis

The collection keeps as well the 14th-century brooch or fermail said of Saint Louis, a large diamond shaped fibula bearing a fleur-de-lis in precious stones, which was used to hold the coronation's robe.[29]

Serpentine paten

serpentine with inlaid gold fish, 1st century BCE or CE, with 9th-century mounts, Louvre
.

The serpentine

Abbot Suger of the 1st century BC or AD, associated with the Cup of the Ptolemies, was used at the coronation of queens and keeps its gem-studded gold Carolingian mountings of Charles the Bald.[30]

Famous diamonds

The Sancy Diamond
The Regent Diamond

Among the most famous diamonds

Louis XVI, wore it in a black velvet hat. The Royal French Blue was transformed into the Hope Diamond now in the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, D.C..

With two remaining jewels of the

Louis XIV.[38][39]

Gemstones in the Natural History Museum and École des Mines

Some gemstones and jewels are on display in the Treasury vault of the Mineralogy gallery in the

École des Mines
in Paris.

Regalia in the National Library of France

Cabinet des Medailles
.
Cabinet des Medailles
.

The

Antiquity,[42] was carved with Dionysiac vignettes and emblems, probably in Alexandria during the 1st century BC or the 1st century AD. It was stolen in 1804, and recovered without its Carolingian gem-studded gold mountings. Its serpentine paten is at the Louvre
.

Charles X regalia in Saint Denis

The original Holy Ampulla in its relic receptacle
The Chalice of Saint Remi, 12th c., at the Palace of Tau, Reims.

Some of the sovereign's robes of the coronation of

Basilica of Saint Denis with the funerary Regalia of king Louis XVIII (sceptre, hand of justice and copy of the sword and scabbard of Charlemagne).[43][44] The Crown of the Dauphin Louis Antoine Duke of Angoulême
which subsists as well counts too among the six only surviving French crowns.

Liturgical instruments and robes in Reims

The Talisman of Charlemagne, 9th c., also a reliquary, found on his body when his tomb was opened

The

Empress Eugenie. Since 1906, the content of the Holy Ampulla is kept in Reims archbishopric.[47]

Theft of the crown jewels during the Revolution

Tavernier's original sketch of the diamond which became the Royal French Blue.
Gouache of the great Golden Fleece [including the "Royal French Blue"] of king Louis XV of France, version 1 of 2008, painted by Pascal Monney (ca. 16 × 6 cm)
The Hope Diamond, which was cut from the Royal French Blue, part of the French Crown Jewels stolen in 1792.

The Crown Jewels were stolen in 1792 when the Garde Meuble (Royal Treasury) was stormed by rioters. Most, though not all, of the Crown Jewels were recovered eventually. Sancy Diamond was found in Russia at Vasily Rudanovsky collection. The Royal French Blue is believed to have been recut, and it is now known as the Hope Diamond.

The Hope is famously alleged to have been surrounded by bad luck. Marie Antoinette who supposedly wore it was beheaded (in fact, it was actually worn by her husband, Louis XVI, although he too was beheaded). Other owners and their families experienced suicides, marriage break-ups, bankruptcy, deaths in car crashes, falls off cliffs, revolutions, mental breakdowns, and deaths through drug overdoses. It was even tangentially associated with the case of the murdered Lindbergh baby, when its then owner, silver heiress Evalyn Walsh McLean, pawned it to raise money that she ended up paying to a con-man unconnected with the actual kidnapping. Most modern historians view the tales of a curse on the Hope to be spurious; the first mention of such tales is documented to 1908. Pierre Cartier, the Parisian jeweler, is widely credited with publicizing the stories of a curse on the diamond in hopes of increasing its saleability. Since 1958, it has been in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where it is the single most-viewed object in the Smithsonian's collection. [citation needed]

The Crown Jewels were augmented by jewels added by

Napoleon III
.

Last coronation

The last French coronation occurred in 1825 when King

Louis XVIII. Louis Philippe I, the last French king, was not crowned, and neither was Napoleon III, the last Emperor. Napoleon III's consort, Eugénie de Montijo, did have a crown
made for her, though it was never used in an official coronation.

Break-up and sale of the French crown jewels

Sapphire set of Queen Marie Amélie bought back by the Louvre in 1985.

During the late 18th and 19th centuries the jewels survived the French First Republic, the Directorate, the First Empire, the Restoration, the July Monarchy, the French Second Republic and the Second Empire. However, the decision of Henri, Comte de Chambord not to accept the French Crown in the early 1870s ended not just the prospect of a royal restoration. It also led to the break-up and partial sale of the Crown Jewels. The Brazilian beauty Aimée de Heeren,[48] WW2 secret service agent for President Getúlio Vargas was known for being the largest private owner of the French Crown jewels, along with other important jewelry. The jewels were presents from Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster who bought whatever he could find between the years 1939 and 1953.

In 1875, the

Constitutional Laws
. The interim presidency was replaced by a full "President of the Republic".

While few expected a royal restoration, certainly after the failure of the Seize Mai attempted royalist coup by the Marshal Patrice de MacMahon, sitting President of the French Republic, the continuing agitation of extreme right-wing royalists, and the fear of a royalist coup d'état, led radical deputies to propose the sale of the Crown Jewels, in the hope that their dispersal would undermine the royalist cause: "Without a crown, no need for a king" in the words of one member of the National Assembly. This controversial decision was implemented. All the jewels from the Crown Jewels were removed and sold in 1887, as were many of the crowns, diadems, rings and other items. Only a few of the crowns were kept for historic reasons, but with their original diamonds and gems replaced by colored glass. Some historic or unusual gems went to French museums, including the Regent Diamond, the Hortensia diamond, and the corsage brooch containing some of the 'Mazarin diamonds', all of which now reside in the Louvre;[49] and the 'Ruspoli' sapphire, which is now in the French Natural History Museum (curators took advantage of its unusual rhombohedral faceted shape and asked for it to be exempted from the sale, falsely claiming that it was a natural, uncut crystal).

See also

References

  1. ^ [1] List of the surviving main Crown jewels
  2. ^ [2] History of the Diamants de la Couronne
  3. ^ [3] List of the surviving Regalia
  4. ^ [4] Plates of the treasure from Dom Michel Félibien, Histoire de L'Abbaye Royale de Saint-Denys en France, 1706
  5. ^ [5] Crown of Saint Louis in the treasure of Saint Denis in 1706, from Dom Michel Félibien, Histoire de L'Abbaye Royale de Saint-Denys en France.
  6. ^ [6] Crown of Saint Louis or Sainte Couronne de France.
  7. Saint Denis in 1706, from Dom Michel Félibien
    , Histoire de L'Abbaye Royale de Saint-Denys en France.
  8. Saint Denis in 1706, from Dom Michel Félibien
    , Histoire de L'Abbaye Royale de Saint-Denys en France
  9. Crown of Louis XV, 1722, Louvre
  10. ^ [10] Crown of Saint Louis.
  11. Napoleon I in coronation costume, François Gérard, 1805, Louvre
  12. Napoleon I, 1804, Louvre
  13. ^ [13] Crown of Empress Eugénie, 1855, Louvre
  14. ^ [14] Portrait of Napoleon III with his crown, ca 1855, Louvre
  15. ^ [15] Diadem of Empress Eugenie, 1853, Louvre
  16. ^ [16] Large diamond brooch « rocaille » of Empress Eugenie, 1855, Louvre
  17. ^ [17] Large corsage diamond knot of Empress Eugenie, 1855, Louvre
  18. ^ [18] Archived 2015-05-28 at the Wayback Machine Pearl and diamond shoulder brooch of Empress Eugenie, 1853, Louvre
  19. ^ [19] King's sword scabbard, 13th century, Louvre
  20. ^ [20] Coronation sword, 10th to 13th centuries, Louvre
  21. ^ [21] Coronation spurs, 12th to 16th centuries and 1804, Louvre
  22. ^ [22] Sceptre of Charles V, 14th century, Louvre
  23. ^ "HIST 608 Monarchs in Europe". Archived from the original on 2012-08-05. Retrieved 2009-08-24. Sceptre of Charles V
  24. ^ File:Ingres, Napoleon on his Imperial throne.jpg
  25. ^ [23] Hand of Justice, 1804 and medieval, Louvre
  26. Saint Denis, 12th century, Louvre
  27. ^ [25] Baton of Guillaume de Roquemont, 14th century, Louvre
  28. ^ [26] Ring of Saint Louis, 14th century, Louvre
  29. ^ [27] Brooch (fermail) of Saint Louis, 14th century, Louvre
  30. ^ [28] Serpentine paten, 1st century BC or AD and 9th century, Louvre
  31. ^ [29] The Diamants de la Couronne
  32. ^ [30] Regent Diamond, Louvre
  33. Empress Marie Louise, Louvre
  34. Empress Marie Louise, Louvre
  35. Duchess of Angoulême, Louvre
  36. Duchess of Angoulême, Louvre
  37. Queen Marie Amélie, Louvre
  38. ^ [36] List of the surviving main Crown jewels
  39. ^ [37] The jewels in the Apollo gallery, Louvre
  40. ^ "Emeraude de Saint Louis - St Louis Emerald". CRPG: Le Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  41. Museum national d'histoire naturelle
  42. ^ Cup of the Ptolemies, "the most precious vase that is in the treasure of Saint-Denis, and perhaps in any European cabinet." (Michel Félibien, Histoire de... Saint-Denys, Paris, 1706, pl. vi, at full scale); "one of the greatest treasures in the Cabinet des Médailles" (Sir W. Martin Conway, 1915, pp 119f (on-line)); etc.
  43. Basilica of St Denis
  44. ^ Regalia in Saint-Denis, base POP.
  45. ^ [39] Reliquary of Charles X for the Holy Ampulla
  46. ^ [40] Ampulla and needle of the reliquary of Charles X
  47. ^ [41] Content of the Holy Ampulla kept in Reims archbishopric.
  48. ^ Aimée de Heeren, later owner of the private jewelry of Empress Eugenie
  49. ^ "Site officiel du musée du Louvre". cartelfr.louvre.fr. Retrieved 2020-08-07.

External links

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