The Jewels of the Empire of Brazil were the official ornaments and regalia worn by the

Emperor of Brazil The monarchs of Brazil ( Portuguese: ''monarcas do Brasil'') were the imperial heads of state and hereditary rulers of Brazil from the House of Braganza that reigned from the creation of the Brazilian monarchy in 1815 as a constituent kingdom o ...

during the Brazilian monarchical period. They were used by the Brazilian Imperial Family until 1889, among them the famous Crown of Dom Pedro II. Part of the jewels are on display at the

National Museum of Brazil The National Museum of Brazil ( pt, Museu Nacional) is the oldest scientific institution of Brazil. It is located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where it is installed in the Paço de São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher's Palace), which is i ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

, and others have been at the

Imperial Museum of Brazil The Museu Imperial de Petrópolis is a museum in the historic center of Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is housed in the Petrópolis Imperial Palace, the former summer residence of Emperor Pedro II (reigned 1831–1889), which was built s ...

in Petrópolis since 1943. Some are also in

Brasília Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...

. They were used in the ceremonies of

Acclamation An acclamation is a form of election that does not use a ballot. It derives from the ancient Roman word ''acclamatio'', a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval towards imperial officials in certain social contexts. Voting Voice vot ...

and

Coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

of the emperors of Brazil, they were also used in the two solemn sessions of Opening and Closing of the General Assembly. Part of the regalia are the Crown of Pedro I, the Imperial Scepter, the Majestic Robes, the Sword of Ipiranga, and the Empire Medals, all kept in Brazilian territory.

Regalia

Cetro Imperial de Dom Pedro I e II do Brasil

Crown of Pedro I

Made in 1822 for the coronation of Pedro I by the goldsmith Manuel Inácio de Loiola, the crown of Pedro I is almost an inverse of the royal crown of Portugal. The solid gold structure was adorned with 639 diamonds and decorated with multiple plant elements and engraved imperial coat of arms. Its top is decorated with an armillary sphere surmounted by a cross pattée. Emptied of its jewels at the time of the creation of the crown of Peter II in 1841, its last use goes back to the repatriation of the remains of the emperor Peter I in 1972.

Crown of Pedro II

Made by the goldsmith Carlos Martin in 1841, the crown of Pedro II is the symbol par excellence of Brazilian imperial power.G1 Edição Rio de Janeiro - NOTÍCIAS - Coroa Imperial é a original, afirma perita
/ref> More classical than that of his father, it is composed of a solid gold structure on which are mounted 639 diamonds (removed from the old crown) and 77 pearls, is lined with green velvet quilted with white satin and is surmounted by a cruciform orb.

Imperial Sceptre

Made in 1822 for the coronation of Pedro I by the Brazilian goldsmith Manuel Inácio de Loiola under the direction of Inácio Luís da Costa, the scepter was only used for important official occasions (coronations and throne speeches).

Imperial Costume

Mantle

The Brazilian imperial costume, sometimes called (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: Traje Majestático), is the set of clothes worn by the Brazilian emperors on official occasions. More than mere accessories of beauty or elegance, each element had a strong symbolic significance for those who knew how to decode them.

Imperial Hat

White velvet hat with gold embroidery. Raised front brim, round crown with rose window formed by acorns and oak leaves interspersed within a circle formed by oak branches and leaves in the upper central part; band surrounding the junction between the crown and the brim with gold embroidery forming oak branches.

Abolition feather

The Abolition Pen is the pen with which the Imperial Princess Isabel signed the Golden Law in 1888, ending the legality of slavery in Brazil. Financed by the population when it was known that the project would be adopted by the General Assembly, it is made entirely of 18-carat gold and decorated with 27 diamonds and 25

rubies A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * Brazilian monarchy Brazilian Crown Jewels National symbols of Brazil

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

{{Brazil-hist-stub