English Early Anglo-Saxon crowns consisted of a circlet of gold with up right spikes or points bearing a ball or "pearl° above. The English kings since Charles II have two royal crowns. One is known as the official Saint Edward's crown and the other is the one used at the coronation ceremony and known as the State or Imperial crown. Saint Edward's crown has two arches (diadems), a circlet with four crosses-patte, four fleur-de-lis alternating. It is composed of gold, enameled and has a few jewels. The present coronation crown of England is of silver or platinum frame closely encrusted with precious stones, some with his toric records, taken from former state crowns. The crown of the present king (George V) differs from that of his father (Edward VII) only in having one of the great Cullinan dia monds ("Star of Africa") in the circlet. The "State Crown of India," made for the corona tion of George V, at Delhi, contains over 6,170 diamonds as well as other precious stones. The. bandeau or circlet supports eight arches rising from four fleur-de-lis and four crosses patte alternating. The arches support a mound with cross-patte. The upper and lower borders of the circlet consist of diamonds; between these are 16 large clusters, four of emeralds and diamonds alternating with four of sapphires and diamonds, while between each are eight large brilliant clusters, the whole of these being di vided by trefoils. The centrepiece contains a 34-carat Indian diamond of great beauty. The eight arches are formed of 48 large brilliants separated by diamond foliation and enclosed with outer bands of diamonds; their flenr-de lis and cross-patte bases are of diamonds surrounding magnificent Indian rubies.
English Coronets.— Modern English coro nets formerly enclosed a velvet cap with a tas sel above of bullion; but these caps are now often omitted in practice. Lodge describes the coronet forms thus: The Prince of Wales' coro net has "cap of velvet, turned up with ermine and having a tassel of gold.'" (This authority's illustrations do not follow his rules strictly, as our illustrations show. Fig. 3). "Over it is worn a circlet of gold enriched with jewels; above its upper rim rise four fleur-de-lis and four crosses-patte alternately; from them an arched diadem of gold crosses the head and is finished at top with a ball surmounted by a cross-patte. . . . It is, in fact, the same as the imperial crown, with the difference of hav ing but one diadem?) Ducal coronet. "The duke's cap is of crimson velvet, lined with er mine, having a gold tassel on the top. His coronet, worn over the cap, is a circlet of gold enriched with jewels, and set around with eight golden strawberry leaves rising from its upper rim.) Marquis' coronet. "His cap and coronet resemble the duke's, differenced only by four of the strawberry leaves on the rim being ex changed for as many golden balls?' Earl's coronet. "His cap is the same as the duke's. His coronet is a circlet of gold enriched with jewels, from which rise eight points surmounted by as many balls of gold, and between them eight small strawberry leaves close to the upper rim of the circlet?' Viscount's coronet. "His cap is the same a duke's. His coronet is a circlet of gold enriched with jewels the upper rim of which is surmounted by 16 balls set close together?' Baron's coronet. "His coronet is differentiated from that of a viscount by hav ing only six balls upon its rim?) Freach Crowns and Coronets.— King. A circlet surmounted by eight fleur-de-lis from which arise four arches (diadems) that support a double fleur-de-lis. (Fig. 4). Duke. A circlet surmounted by eight leaves (fieurons). Mar quis. A circlet bearing four leaves (fleurons), a point between each surmounted by a triple pearl cluster. Count. A circlet bearing 16 pearls. Baron. A plain circlet having a cord of pearls wound around it diagonally (torts!) and displaying three windings. Vidame. A circlet surmounted by four crosses patte. Vis count. A circlet surmounted by four large pearls. (Fig. 5).
German Crowns and Coronets.—King. The new German king's crown bears close similarity to the crowns of the crown prince and the archduke. But the
crown prince of the Empire and of Prus sia has a crown similar to the imperial crown (four arches surmounting a mound), the circlet of eight plates alternating four eagles and four crosses as decoration. (Fig. 6). The German king's (modern) crown has no lining (Futter), whereas the crown prince's and arch duke's has. Electors without sovereign rights bear a coronet with ermine circlet and but one arch (diadem). The ducal coronet has a circlet of ermine and is lined to the top of the arches. The coronet of the prince (Furst) not of royal blood shows two crossed arches on a circlet of ermine; often, however, a crown orgold circlet with leaves (like the noble coronet) took the place of the ermine, surmounted with an er mine tail. Count. The last-mentioned coronet, but without the ermine tail, was attribute of a count. The modern count's coronet displays nine pearls. The baron's coronet displays seven and that of the untitled noble, five. (Fig. 7). The Cfovrn in Heraldry.—Unless otherwise stated, the crown in heraldic blazon refers al ways to a ducal coronet (see Fig. 3). Animals, chiefly as supporters, often carry a coronet on their necks. In such cases•they are blazoned as gorged, as a hind gorged and chained.
Votive Crowns.— Early Christian kings frequently dedicated their crowns to the Church. From this arose the cult of devoting imitation crowns to churches to be suspended by chains attached to their upper rim. Such gifts to the Church were known as donaria and the crowns are known as votive crowns. Later, these crowns were often used for illuminating purposes by suspending other chains from the lower rim to support a lamp. Many of these votive crowns of ancient date exist, but the most noted are the eight massive Gothic gold crowns discovered (1858) buried at Guarazar (Spain). They are beautiful products of the art of the Visigoths and were consecrated in some church in the second half of the 7th cen tury, as an inscription on one of them proves. The largest of these crowns displays an in wide gold circlet is set with 30 Oriental phires of great beauty, separated by 30 large pearls. Suspended from the lower band by 24 scription that it was the Itiit of the Gothic king Reccesvinthus, whose reign commenced in 649 and who died 672. (Fig. 8). The four-inch small gold chains are large golden letters in cloisotne enamel and set with jewels. They are arranged to form the words: aReccesvin thus Rex 40fferet° (dedicated by Reccesvinthus, the king). A pendant of gold and pearls, from which is suspended a pear-shaped red sapphire, acts as drop-piece to each letter. Four elaborately wrought chains support the circlet, falling from a double gold floral piece contain ing 12 sapphire pendants. The whole structure is held up by a gold loop passed through finely worked rock-crystal ornament. Other votive crowns are extant, such as those of the princes Agilulph and Theodolind, from the Monta treasure, etc.
Corona Lucia.— It was the cult of early Christian monarchs dedicating crowns to the Church and, later, the utilizing of these circlets as a point of suspension for lamps, that led to the coronal or corona lucis—the crown-light.
During the Middle Ages these crown-lights were suspended from the church roof or vault to hold tapers. Some of these were most elab orate and of great dimensions. Seveial are still extant. (See CHANDELIERS). Our illus tration (Fig. 9), taken from an old manuscript, displays two votive crowns in qt church. a corona lucis between them. See also CORONA.
Bibliography.— Note on the Imperial Crowii of King Edward VII ('Connoisseur,> Vol. VI, pp. 31-32, London 1903); 'The Royal Crowns of England from the Norman Conquest to the Crown of King George V> (Windsor Maga zine, Vol. XXXIV, 1911, London); "the King's Coronation' (London 1911, illustrated); Jones, Wm. 'Crowns and Coronations: a History of Regalia' (new ed., London 1902); 'Die Kroninsignien des Koenigreiches Boeh-' men' (oorripiled'hy: Karl Chytel, Porikha, K. Urba, Prague 1912); 'Topographic der historischen and kunst Denial:D.6e im Koenig. reiche> (Boehmen, Vol. III).