Crown of the Andes
Encyclopedia
The Crown of the Andes, or La Corona de Nuestra Senora de los Andes, is a votive crown
originally made for a larger than life-size statue of the Virgin in the Cathedral of Popayán
, Colombia
. The crown is 34.5 cm high, 52 cm in circumference, weighs 2.18 kilos in all and is made from 18 - 22 carat gold. There are 450 emeralds on it: the largest, known as the “Atahualpa Emerald”, is a rectangular stone measuring 15.8 by 16.15 mms.
devastating the region, and includes emeralds taken from the captured Inca Emperor Atahualpa
: Christopher Hartop however, a jewellery expert who examined the crown during a proposed sale at the auctioneer Christie’s in New York in 1995, suggested then it was a composite piece, parts of which were probably made at different times between the 16th and 18th centuries. The crown had a long history of use in the Holy Week celebrations in Popayán, until in the early decades of the 20th century papal permission was sought to sell it and dedicate the funds raised to charitable purposes. Permission was given in 1914 but the sellers, the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception (la Cofradía de la Inmaculada Concepción), did not find a buyer until 1936 when an American syndicate led by Chicago businessman Warren J. Piper purchased it. At the time Mr. Piper said the crown would be broken up and individual jewels sold off, but this did not happen. Instead the crown was exhibited sporadically over the next few decades, notably at Detroit in 1937 when General Motors used it at the unveiling of their new Chevrolet range: 225,000 people are said to have viewed it on that occasion, some 15% of the city's then population. It was also displayed at the New York World's Fair of 1939 and in 1959 at the Royal Ontario Museum
.
The crown was not sold during the 1995 sale and its current owner(s) are not identified. It is believed to be usually kept in New York but is occasionally put on display, most recently in Indianapolis
at an exhibition called 'Sacred Spain: Art and Belief in the Spanish World', held October 2009 - January 3 2010 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
.
It has been suggested that as the crown was made in Popayan from local gold and emeralds and used there continually in religious worship for some three centuries it should be returned to the region where it has most cultural resonance. It is not known whether any moves are under way to achieve this.
Votive crown
A votive crown is a votive offering in the form of a crown, normally in precious metals and often adorned with jewels. Especially in the Early Middle Ages, they are of a special form, designed to be suspended by chains at an altar, shrine or image...
originally made for a larger than life-size statue of the Virgin in the Cathedral of Popayán
Popayán
Popayán is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between Colombia's Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. The crown is 34.5 cm high, 52 cm in circumference, weighs 2.18 kilos in all and is made from 18 - 22 carat gold. There are 450 emeralds on it: the largest, known as the “Atahualpa Emerald”, is a rectangular stone measuring 15.8 by 16.15 mms.
History
Various tales circulate about its construction and origin. According to the most common report it was made in the 1590s in thanksgiving for Popayán being spared an outbreak of smallpoxSmallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
devastating the region, and includes emeralds taken from the captured Inca Emperor Atahualpa
Atahualpa
Atahualpa, Atahuallpa, Atabalipa, or Atawallpa , was the last Sapa Inca or sovereign emperor of the Tahuantinsuyu, or the Inca Empire, prior to the Spanish conquest of Peru...
: Christopher Hartop however, a jewellery expert who examined the crown during a proposed sale at the auctioneer Christie’s in New York in 1995, suggested then it was a composite piece, parts of which were probably made at different times between the 16th and 18th centuries. The crown had a long history of use in the Holy Week celebrations in Popayán, until in the early decades of the 20th century papal permission was sought to sell it and dedicate the funds raised to charitable purposes. Permission was given in 1914 but the sellers, the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception (la Cofradía de la Inmaculada Concepción), did not find a buyer until 1936 when an American syndicate led by Chicago businessman Warren J. Piper purchased it. At the time Mr. Piper said the crown would be broken up and individual jewels sold off, but this did not happen. Instead the crown was exhibited sporadically over the next few decades, notably at Detroit in 1937 when General Motors used it at the unveiling of their new Chevrolet range: 225,000 people are said to have viewed it on that occasion, some 15% of the city's then population. It was also displayed at the New York World's Fair of 1939 and in 1959 at the Royal Ontario Museum
Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...
.
The crown was not sold during the 1995 sale and its current owner(s) are not identified. It is believed to be usually kept in New York but is occasionally put on display, most recently in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
at an exhibition called 'Sacred Spain: Art and Belief in the Spanish World', held October 2009 - January 3 2010 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
.
It has been suggested that as the crown was made in Popayan from local gold and emeralds and used there continually in religious worship for some three centuries it should be returned to the region where it has most cultural resonance. It is not known whether any moves are under way to achieve this.
External links
- Further details can be found at the Internet Stones website
- Indianapolis Museum of Art featured the Crown of the Andes during their 2009 season "Sacred Spain: Art and Belief in the Spanish World"
- USA Today featured a photographic image of the display by Darron Cummings, AP
- Intrigue surrounding the baroque jeweled treasure provides material for a work of fiction One Sacred Crown published in 2009 to coincide with the North American exhibition.