View source for State Crown of Mary of Modena

{{Short description|Part of the British Crown Jewels}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{infobox crown
|name          =State Crown of Mary of Modena
|image         =Mary of Modena's Crown.png
|image_width   =180px
|caption       =
|heraldic      =
|nation        =United Kingdom
|date_made     =1685
|owner         =[[Charles&nbsp;III]] in right of [[the Crown]]
|date_destroyed=
|weight        =700&nbsp;g (1.5&nbsp;lb)
|arches        =4
|primary_material=Gold
|cap_material  =Purple velvet with an ermine band
|stones        =
|other_elements=Silver, pearls, diamonds
}}

The '''State Crown of Mary of Modena''' is the [[consort crown]] made in 1685 for [[Mary of Modena]], queen of England, Scotland and Ireland. It was used by future queens, even by [[queens regnant]] until the end of the 18th century.

Originally set with hired diamonds, the crown is set with crystals for display in the [[Jewel House]] at the [[Tower of London]].

Mary also had a [[diadem]], also in the Jewel House, and a [[coronation crown]], now owned by the [[Museum of London]].

==Description==
The gold crown originally had 523 small diamonds, 38 large diamonds, and 129 large pearls. These have been replaced with quartz crystals. It is {{convert|19|cm|in}} tall and weighs {{convert|700|g|lb}}.<ref name="rose3637"/> The crown is decorated with [[Cross pattée|crosses pattée]] and [[fleurs-de-lis]] and has four [[Half-arch (crown)|half-arches]], surmounted with a [[monde]] and cross pattée.

==Origin==
[[File:Mary of Modena Kneller.jpg|thumb|left|A portrait of Mary of Modena showing her crown]]

Traditionally, when a king is married, his wife is crowned as queen at their coronation ceremony.<ref>Dixon-Smith, et al., p. 38.</ref> In 1649, the monarchy was abolished after a long civil war between [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and his Parliament, and the [[Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom|Crown Jewels]] were either sold or turned into coins by [[Royal Mint|the Mint]].<ref>Keay, p. 43.</ref> The coronation of [[Mary of Modena]] and her husband, [[James II and VII]], marked the first time a queen was crowned after the restoration of the monarchy, [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] having been unmarried when he took the throne in 1660.<ref name="mears">Mears, et al., p. 25.</ref>

[[File:Mary of Modena's Diadem.png|thumb|Mary's diadem]]

Three pieces of headgear were made for the queen: a [[diadem]] to wear in procession to [[Westminster Abbey]], a coronation crown for the crowning, and a [[state crown]] to wear upon leaving the abbey.<ref name="rose3637">Rose, pp. 36–37.</ref> Made by Richard de Beauvoir, the state crown was covered in diamonds valued at £35,000, and the bill for hiring them was £1,000.<ref>Olivia Fryman in Bird and Clayton, "Ceremony and Coronation", p. 100.</ref> She paid for the crowns and diadem out of her own pocket, and also commissioned two new sceptres and a coronation ring for the ceremony.<ref>Olivia Fryman in Bird and Clayton, "Ceremony and Coronation", p. 63.</ref>

Mary's diadem was set with 177 diamonds, 78 pearls, 1 sapphire, 1 emerald, and 1 ruby; it now contains artificial gemstones and cultured pearls, and is also on display at the Tower of London.<ref name="mears"/> It is {{convert|8|cm|in}} tall and weighs {{convert|300|g|lb}}.<ref name="rose3637"/>

Her empty coronation crown was acquired from a private dealer by the [[Museum of London]] in 1956. It had been sent to the [[Crown Jeweller]]s, [[Rundell & Bridge]], for maintenance work in the 19th century, but was never returned to the royal family.<ref name="rose3637"/> Originally, the crown weighed {{convert|600|g|lb}} and was set with 419 diamonds, 46 large pearls, 7 rubies, 7 sapphires, and 2 emeralds.<ref name="twining158">Twining, p. 158.</ref>

==Usage==
The crown was subsequently used by queens regnant [[Mary II]] and [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne]]; and by queens consort [[Caroline of Ansbach]]<ref>Twining, p. 169.</ref> and [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]].<ref name="rose3637"/> In 1831, the crown was judged to be too theatrical and in a poor state of repair, and so [[Crown of Queen Adelaide|another crown]] was made for the new queen, [[Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen]].<ref>Keay, p. 137.</ref> However, it is possible that Adelaide was crowned using one of Mary of Modena's crowns.<ref name="rose3637"/>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Mary of Modena Kneller.jpg|Mary of Modena with the crown, 1687
File:School of Kneller - Mary of Modena - Torrington Town Hall Office.png|Mary of Moderna, 17th century
File:William and Mary cropped.jpg|Queen Mary in the Mary of Moderna's state crown, with William III in the [[State Crown of Charles II]]
File:William III and Mary II.jpg|Queen Mary in the Mary of Moderna's state crown
File:Queen Caroline Kneller.jpg|Queen Caroline, 17th century
File:Seeman - Caroline of Ansbach - RCIN 406182.png|Queen Caroline, 17th century, circa 1730
File:Style of Michael Dahl - Queen Caroline - Warwick Shire Hall.jpg|Queen Caroline, 17th century, circa 1730
File:Carlota, Reina de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda.jpg|Queen Charlotte with the crown, 1773
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]]
*[[Crown of Queen Camilla|Crown of Queen Mary]]
*[[Crown of Queen Alexandra]]
*[[Crown of Queen Adelaide]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Bird|editor1-first=Rufus|editor2-last=Clayton|editor2-first=Martin|title=Charles II: Art and Power|year=2017|publisher=Royal Collection Trust|isbn=978-1-909741-44-7}}
* {{cite book|last1=Dixon-Smith|first1=Sally|last2=Edwards|first2=Sebastian|last3=Kilby|first3=Sarah|last4=Murphy|first4=Clare|last5=Souden|first5=David|last6=Spooner|first6=Jane|last7=Worsley|first7=Lucy|title=The Crown Jewels: Souvenir Guidebook|publisher=Historic Royal Palaces|year=2010|isbn=978-1-873993-13-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Keay|first=Anna|title=The Crown Jewels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MwpjtwAACAAJ|year=2011|publisher=Thames & Hudson|isbn=978-0-500-51575-4}}
* {{cite book|last1=Mears|first1=Kenneth J.|last2=Thurley|first2=Simon|last3=Murphy|first3=Claire|title=The Crown Jewels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r1GJnAEACAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Historic Royal Palaces|asin=B000HHY1ZQ}}
* {{cite book|last=Rose|first=Tessa|title=The Coronation Ceremony and the Crown Jewels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bSUTAQAAIAAJ|year=1992|publisher=HM Stationery Office|isbn=978-0-117-01361-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Twining|first=Edward Francis|title=A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvIOAQAAMAAJ|year=1960|publisher=B. T. Batsford|asin=B00283LZA6}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*{{Royal Collection|31707|Mary of Modena's Crown of State}}
*{{Royal Collection|31708|Mary of Modena's Diadem}}

{{Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom}}
{{Crowns}}

[[Category:1685 works]]
[[Category:Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Individual crowns|Mary of Modena]]
[[Category:Mary of Modena]]