coroana reginei maria

oroana Reginei Maria, comandat de

Parlamentul Romniei pentru ceremonia
ncoronarii de la Alba-Iulia, a fost realizat la Paris de ctre casa de bijuterii Falize din
aur transilvnean dndu-i astfel o simbolistic
aparte. Designul n stil bizantin, cu motive vegetale, a fost conceput de Costin Petrescu, avnd
ca inspiraie coroana doamnei Despina Milia,
innd cont de dorina Reginei Maria pentru a da
o aur medieval nfirii sale. Un accesoriu
neobinuit pentru coroan sunt pandativii laterali
specifici diademelor imperiale bizantine.
Cele dou pandantive au fiecare cte un scut
heraldic, unul reprezint stema Regatului
Romniei, iar cellalt nsemnele heraldice ce
arat ascendena Reginei Maria, Casa de Edinburgh i de Saxa-Coburg-Gotha. Asocierea acestora cu elemente artistice bizantine sugereaz
continuitatea cu perioada de glorie a statelor meCoroana reginei Maria,
desen de Costin Petrescu
dievale romneti. Piesa este o alturare unic de
Queen Maries crown,
simboluri regale, fiind o exprimare a noii idendrawing by Costin Petrescu
titi naionale romne dobndite de ctre
nepoata reginei
Victoria. De cele
dou medalioane
sunt prinse cte 3
lanuri de ambele
Foto: Valentin Mandache
pri, reprezentnd
spicele de gru,
MEdAlion:
Regina Maria ntr-o pictur votiv de Costin Petrescu din
simbol al fertilcatedrala ncoronrii de la Alba-iulia
itii, iar la captul
Queen Marie in a votive painting by Costin Petrescu from
fiecrui lan era o
the Coronation Cathedral at Alba-iulia
cruce
gamat,
similar celei din
partea superioar a
Regele Ferdinand i regina Maria coroanei. Crucea
fresca de la Ateneul Romn
(pictor Costin Petrescu)
gamat stilizat
reprezint simKing Ferdinand and Queen Marie the Romanian Athenaeum fresco
boluri religioase
(painting by Costin Petrescu)
Foto: Valentin Mandache
cosmice strvechi
care se regsesc
adesea i n arta etnografic romneasc. Alegerea pietrelor semipreioase
sau preioase care au mpodobit coroana a fost n acord cu viziunea reginei
despre romantism.
Comanda coroanei Reginei Maria, conform documentelor din arhiva Falize
a fost nregistrat la 5 august 1921, fiind fcut de ctre Parlamentul
Romniei, prin preedintele Senatului, generalul Coand i de colonelul
Drosso din partea Regelui Ferdinand. Dei iniial urma s fie livrat la 22
ianuarie 1922, costul fiind estimat ntre 45 i 50 de mii de franci, coroana a
fost livrat la 30 septembrie 1922 i la un pre mai mare, de 64.820 franci.
Registrul Falize care consemneaz comanda coroanei reginei Maria
Fiind mulumit de creaia Casei Falize, Regina Maria a comandat o copie
Entry from the last surviving Falize order book, commissioning the making of Queen Maries crown
a coroanei care se afl expus la Muzeul Maryhill din SUA.

the crown of queen marie

he crown of Queen Marie was ordered by the Romanian Parliament on the occasion of Alba-Iulia coronation ceremony, to Falize
jewellers firm. It is made from gold mined in Transylvania, thus
giving it a special significance in the context of achieving the national
union in the aftermath of the Great War. Its design style is Byzantine,
featuring vegetable motifs, being the master-work of Costin Petrescu, inspired from the crown of the medieval Princess Despina Milia, in accordance with Queen Marie's wish to give it a medieval appearance. A
less usual feature is represented by the two lateral pendants, specific to
Byzantine imperial diadems.
The two pendants each are embellished with heraldic shields, the right
hand one representing the coat of arms of the Romanian Kingdom, while
the other shows the heraldry symbols of Queen Marie's ascendancy, the
House of Edinburgh and of Saxe Coburg and Gotha. The association of
those heraldry symbols with the general Byzantine design of the crown
suggests the link of continuity between the modern state with the glory
of the medieval Romanian principalities. The artefact is a unique gathering of royal symbols, being also an expression of the Romanian national

identity of Queen Marie, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of Great

Britain. From the two lateral pendant medallions there hang three chains
from each of them, composed from pieces representing wheat ears, a
symbol of fertility, which end with a gamma crosses, similar in design
with the one atop of the crown. The gamma cross is an ancient religious
symbol often found in Romanian ethnographic art. The choice of the precious stones that embellish the crown was made according to Queen
Marie's national-romantic vision.
The Romanian Parliament placed the order with Falize firm on 5 August
1921, through the president of the Senate, general Coand and colonel
Drosso representing King Ferdinand. The delivery date was expected for
22 January 1922, at a cost between 45 and 50 thousand Francs, but the
crown was delivered only on 30 September 1922 at a price of 64,820
Francs. Queen Marie was impressed by the Falize jewellers' mastery,
subsequently ordering a copy of the crown, which is today exhibited at
Maryhill Museum in the USA.
Diana Mandache