The Crown of Rudolph II of Austria (1602)

This crown of gold, enamel pearls, rubies and diamonds, topped with an enormous sapphire, is one of the best examples of the art of the Renaissance goldsmiths.

The large pearl on the front central panel was found by a native diver in the Gulf of Panama in the early 16th Century. Stolen by the Spanish conquerors of Latin America, it became the property of Emperor Charles V. The other pearls were presented from the Persian ruler Shah Abbas to Rudolph II. Later the crown became the emblem of the Austrian Empire, but it was never used as the Emperors of Austria were never crowned.

The crown was made in Prague by the court goldsmith in 1602, commissioned by Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor. Rudolph was born in Vienna on July 18th 1552, son of Maximilien II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Maria, a daughter of Emperor Charles V,

Rudolph was one of the most eccentric of European monarchs. He collected dwarfs and had a regiment of giants in his army. He was surrounded by astrologers and was accused of dabbling in alchemy and magic. Although Rudolf was a learned man, he was incapable of ruling because he was plagued by melancholy and later became subject to occasional fits of insanity. Other members of his family began to intervene in imperial affairs and most of the actual ruling power passed to his brother Matthias. Rudolph died in Prague in 1612.

On the demise of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 the crown became known as The Crown of The Emperor of Austria.