Crown of Charlemagne

The portrait relief is taken from Gérard and rendered in solid white and yellow gold above a field of red guilloché vitreous enamel. Around it, laurel and oak are worked together. The laurel belongs to the language of Rome and victory. Napoleon himself chose golden laurel for his coronation, preferring an imperial Roman image to the form of a conventional royal crown. The eagle carries another ancient imperial association into the Napoleonic state, while the Légion d'honneur contributes a language of rank and merit created by Napoleon himself. Cabochon-cut gemstones punctuate the composition, their domed profiles chosen for their relationship to ceremonial regalia rather than for brilliance alone. The title therefore does not describe a literal crown upon the ring, it describes a claim of inheritance. Napoleon understood that history could be inherited. He also understood that, when necessary, it could be designed.

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