LOST MEDICI TREASURE FOUND

A jewel-studded gold crown, commissioned by Vittoria della Rovere, wife of the Grand Duke Ferdinand II de Medici in 1685, considered missing for almost two centuries, has been traced and identified by researcher Piero Pacini.  

The crown, a masterpiece  created by master goldsmiths Giovanni Comparini and Giuseppe Vanni, was gifted by the Duchess to the Carmelite nuns of Santa Maria Maddalena de Pazzi in Florence as an act of devotion. The crown, inset with 655 precious stones, including 412 diamonds, 80 emeralds and 114 rubies,  adorned the head of the image of the saint during religious processions . At a certain point, however, it was substituted by a crown of lesser value and the original disappeared from public view.  It was thought  to have been stolen or lost during the last war.  By studying documents in the archives of the Carmelites of Careggi, Pacini was able to positively identify the Vittoria della Rovere crown  among other forgotten objects in the Church treasury.  

Posted on 11 Apr 2010 by Editor
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