Crown of the Empress Eugénie

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Crown of Empress Eugénie in the Louvre in Paris

The crown of Empress Eugénie was given to the wife of Napoleon III. Eugénie de Montijo created.

While Napoleon I still used an antique crown at his coronation in 1804 , he gave instructions to design a more contemporary model a little later. In 1806 the new crown appeared in the imperial coat of arms . However, there was no production.

After his nephew Napoleon III. Founded the Second Empire , he gave the order for the production of a women's crown for Empress Eugénie based on the model of the heraldic imperial crown on the occasion of the World Exhibition in 1855 . The order went to the jeweler Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier .

The crown is made of gold , over 2,400 diamonds and 56 emeralds . The crown circlet has a row of diamonds at the top and bottom. In the space in between, eight diamond rosettes alternate with eight large diamond-shaped emeralds set in gold. The crown stirrups are alternately eight empire-style palmettes and eight golden eagles . Below the palmettos directly through the hoop swinging small brilliant-studded arms to both sides. They hold small emeralds at their ends. Flower-like structures consisting of seven small leaves each with diamonds rise above it. There is a larger diamond at the intersection of the leaves. Starting from the upper leaves of the flowers, the palmettes rise up like a volute, and they too bear diamonds. The eagles swing their extended wings like a volute up to the top of the crown. Their heads are turned to the left. The crown stirrups in the form of palmettes and eagle wings meet at the apex, where they are dented, before they bend up again and carry the globe. The globe is covered with diamonds and has a band of gold-set emeralds on its equator and on the upper hemisphere. A diamond-set cross rises above it. The inside of the crown is lined with red velvet .

The crown was never used at any coronation but was displayed on public occasions. It is now in the Louvre in Paris .

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