The Imperial Coronation Regalia
Since we just went through a coronation, I am posting about the Russian crown jewels and regalia. There is a difference between the two: The Crown Jewels are the most famous of a nation's treasures and may include extraordinary items such as orbs, scepters, crowns, and gemstones…all closely connected with the status and role of the monarch. Regalia is usually a smaller collection consisting of a specific set of emblems, symbols, or paraphernalia indicative of royal status, rights, prerogatives, and privileges a sovereign enjoys.
What is considered the Coronation Regalia of the Russian Empire changed several times throughout Russian History. From 1723 -1724 it has consisted of:
The Crown of Empress Catherine (the Imperial Crown), the Orb of Peter II, the Imperial Scepter, and the "Small Imperial Crown" made for Maria Alexandrovna. A picture of the rather unique ruby capping the Imperial Crown is included; the ruby is 398.72-carats...
The crown of Empress Anna Ivanova...
The Agraf (buckle of Imperial mantle): You can see the diamond "buckle" (which stretches over her decolletage, holding the edges of Catherine's ermine cape) and also in the black and white picture below, on the lower tier, between two necklaces
The Maltese Crown of Emperor Pavel I...
The State Sword and State Shield...
A little bit about the recent history of the Russian Crown Jewels and Regalia:
When the Great War erupted, the Russian Crown Jewels were packed into eight sealed trunks and sent from Petrograd (St. Petersburg) to the Armoury Chamber in Moscow, where the trunks remained sealed for several years because no one knew what was inside of them.
When the trunks were opened in 1922, the treasures found inside were found to span the reigns of the Russian Emperor Peter I (The Great) in 1698 to Nicholas II in 1917; the imperial regalia were saved and remained in the Kremlin Armoury to this day, along with other major historic jewels associated with the tsars.
The communist government was strapped for cash, and the historical significance of the Russian Crown Jewels was anathema to their tenets. The jewels were exhibited for one month and then cataloged. In 1925 the catalog was published and offered to prospective buyers. But, although a few pieces were sold, the collection was soon taken off the market (somebody in the Bolshevik government must have realized they were giving away their History.) The majority remains in Russia at the Kremlin Diamond Fund in Moscow. And the rest? Nobody knows what was sold, and pieces surface on auction occasionally.
What is considered the regalia is pictured above...but the Russian Crown Jewels and other artifacts are simply amazing...I have included a few below for your viewing pleasure!
