Made sometime during the late 9th or the early 10th century AD, it is an example of exquisite Roman craftsmanship, using gold, gilded silver and pearls. The base of the crown includes medallions, originally 14 in number, which depict the Apostles, Christ, and Emperor Leo himself, while the sides of the base feature two peacocks with spread tails, that were added much later. The crown’s main unique feature is a single carved piece of mountain crystal that includes a small golden statue of the Virgin Mary. The artifact was plundered during the Fourth Crusade and is currently housed in the Treasury of San Marco in Venice.
Along with the Monomachos crown, the crown of Constance of Aragon, the crown of Nikephoros Phokas in Mount Athos, and half of the crown of Hungary, it is a very rare example of a surviving Eastern Roman crown, even if only a votive one.
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Made sometime during the late 9th or the early 10th century AD, it is an example of exquisite Roman craftsmanship, using gold, gilded silver and pearls. The base of the crown includes medallions, originally 14 in number, which depict the Apostles, Christ, and Emperor Leo himself, while the sides of the base feature two peacocks with spread tails, that were added much later. The crown’s main unique feature is a single carved piece of mountain crystal that includes a small golden statue of the Virgin Mary. The artifact was plundered during the Fourth Crusade and is currently housed in the Treasury of San Marco in Venice.
Along with the Monomachos crown, the crown of Constance of Aragon, the crown of Nikephoros Phokas in Mount Athos, and half of the crown of Hungary, it is a very rare example of a surviving Eastern Roman crown, even if only a votive one.