Antique French Santos Crown with Paste Stones, Orb and Cross, 19th Century

A French santos crown, the kind made to crown a statue of the Madonna or a saint, and now available to crown whatever you consider sufficiently important. Eight arched bands of stamped brass, each worked with scrolls and tiny florets, rise from a braided band to meet at an orb topped with a small cross. Between the arches sit trefoil fleurons, and the whole thing is set with paste stones: clear ones for brilliance, ruby red at the center of each arch, and sapphire blue around the base.

It is a closed, imperial-style crown, which is the more ambitious version. The brass has mellowed to a soft, uneven gold with darker tones in the recesses, and the stones still catch the light the way they were meant to from the far end of a nave. One setting sits empty, which is what happens when something has spent its life being reverent in public.

Beautiful on a stack of books, under a cloche, on a mantel, or back on a statue where it started.

Details

• Origin: France
• Period: 19th century
• Materials: brass with paste stones (clear, red, and blue)
• Form: closed crown with eight arches, orb, and cross
• Dimensions: 3.5" diameter × 2.25" H
• Condition: patina and wear to the brass consistent with age; one paste stone missing. Please review all photos.