 | This article includes alist of references,related reading, orexternal links,but its sources remain unclear because it lacksinline citations. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(January 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Ahalf-arch is the piece ofgold,silver orplatinum, usually decorated withjewels, that links thecirclet (circular base) of ahoop crown to themonde at the top of the crown.
Many crowns of continental European monarchs traditionally contain eight half-arches; examples from extant monarchies include the royal crowns ofDenmark,the Netherlands,Norway,Spain andSweden. The only example of a crown of a British monarch with eight half-arches is theImperial Crown of India, made for KingGeorge V asEmperor of India to wear at theDelhi Durbar of 1911. The crowns of two 20th century BritishQueens consort also have eight half-arches, namely theCrown of Queen Alexandra (1902) and theCrown of Queen Mary (1911), reflecting their origins as European princesses fromDenmark andGermany respectively.
In contrast, the crowns ofBritish monarchs traditionally contain four half-arches; examples includeSt. Edward's Crown, theState Crown of George I, theCoronation Crown of George IV and theImperial State Crown, and also theCrown of Scotland. The same is true for several Britishconsort crowns, namely theState Crown of Mary of Modena, theCrown of Queen Adelaide and theCrown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
The three crowns in existence of thePrince of Wales, theheir apparent to theBritish throne, all have one full arch, with a globe centred on the single arch rather than being the element to which each arch separately is joined, following an instruction laid down by KingCharles II in 1677. Unlike the princely crowns of 1902 and 1969 however, where the single arch rises, in theCrown of Frederick, Prince of Wales (1728) the single arch dips in the centre, with the globe located in the centre of the dip.
Different crowns possess different-shaped half-arches. In some crowns, the half-arches dip down at the centre of the crown where they meet the globe. The most widely recognized example of this isSt. Edward's Crown, the Britishcoronation crown, while in others, such as Queen Elizabeth's consort crown, all four half-arches rise at a somewhat right angle, with no central dip.
However, in the case of theState Crown of George I, while the crown as originally designed had dipping arches, they were pulled up to a right angle for thecoronation of KingGeorge II and have remained in that position.
In some crowns, such as the BritishImperial State Crown, the half-arches are detachable, allowing the crown to be worn as a circlet.Alexandra of Denmark,Mary of Teck andElizabeth Bowes-Lyon (British queens consort Alexandra, Mary and Elizabeth) all at various stages wore their own crowns as circlets, particularly after the deaths of the husbands, when one of their children was on the throne and they were thequeen mother.
Where a crown possesses arches or half-arches, the circlet of the crown below the arches or half-arches are usually filled with velvet or othercloth, or with a jewelled metal cap. Different states and different crowns may possess different coloured cloth inlays.
The most widely used colours for cloth infills arepurple, as in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth and in St. Edward's Crown, and darkred, as in the Imperial Crown of Austria.
Not all crowns possess arches. The Danish Crown ofChristian IV that was used for the coronation of elected monarchs prior to the introduction of absolutism in 1660 has no covering at all but exists in circlet form, while thePapal Tiara rises as one solid silver (or in one occasion gold) unit. Nor are arches to be found on theIron Crown of Lombardy, nor any of theIranian Crown Jewels. Both theImperial Crown of Russia and theImperial Crown of Austria possess two central half-arches, with most of the rest of the crown covered in.
