The current Crown of the Netherlands is of relatively modern origin. In 1813 the new "Sovereign Ruler" of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, Prince Willem of Orange, son and heir of the exiled

Stadtholder In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...

Willem V of Orange, was sworn in as Dutch monarch in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. There was no crown present at the ceremony. When, in 1815, Willem was proclaimed "

King of the Netherlands King of The Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Koning der Nederlanden'') is the title of the Dutch head of state. The king serves as the head of state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which includes the constituent nations of the Netherlands, Curaçao, A ...

" in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, he was not crowned but there was a crown present during his

inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugu ...

, a huge and unusable construction of gilded copper, pearls made of pasted fishskin and coloured glass. The four holes in the ring, the peculiar size and the lack of a bill in the accounts that do contain the jeweler's bill for the gilded silver orb and sceptre, suggest that it was the old "funeral crown", used by the Stadtholders in the 18th century and then tied to a cushion on top of the coffin when driven to the vault in

Delft Delft () is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, and The Hague, to the northwest. Together with them, it is part of both the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolita ...

. This crown still exists. It may have been used for royal funerals in the 19th century. The Dutch College of Arms (the "Hoge Raad van Adel") approved of a new royal coat of arms with crown on 24 August 1815. From then on, the heraldic crown and the actual crown would differ. The heraldic crown was described as "a bejeweled golden ring with golden fleurons and pearls, eight rising arches studded with pearls and topped with an orb with a cross. The crown is not lined with velvet." In 1840, King Willem I abdicated and a new crown was made. The renowned Amsterdam jewelry firm As Bonebakker & Son was commissioned to make the crown. The execution were left to master gold- and silversmith Theodorus Gerardus Bentvelt. This small crown contains no real diamonds or pearls. It was made of gilded silver, balls covered with fish skin and glass with coloured foil behind it. The lining was made of red silk. Willem II and his successors chose not to wear it, but to leave it on a special table during the ceremony when both the King and the States-General take the oath. The crown was used in royal funerals. In 1898, 24 of the 74 pearls were removed as the crown was prepared for the inauguration of

Queen Wilhelmina Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World Wa ...

. The crown has not changed since then. It was the monarch's private property until 1963. It was given to a foundation controlled by the

Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term pa ...

and has never been on display,René Brus. except for the investitures of 1898, 1948, 1980, 2013, a funeral in 1934 and an exhibition in 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crown Of The Netherlands 1840 works

Dutch monarchy National symbols of the Netherlands Silver-gilt objects

See also

References