Crown of Saint Louis, 1938 (colour litho)

The Crown of Saint Louis. also known as the Crown of Liège, was formerly considered to be of Parisian workshop origin, but is now recognised as a product of the Meuse Valley artistry, known as 'Art Mosan'; the crown was not worn by Saint Louis (Louis IX 1214/15-70) King of France 1226-70 but was a reliquary commissioned by him to contain relics of the Crown of Thorns, the Cross and the Holy Lance from the Crucifixion of Christ and given by him to the Dominican Convent in Liège; this reliquary, like Saint Louis's other reliquary of the Sainte- Chapelle in Paris, bears witness to his piety and veneration of relics of the Passion; now on display in the Louvre; Couronne-reliquaire dite "Couronne de Liège"; from a series of illustrations of famous royal crowns published by the cigarette manufacturer, Godfrey Phillips, to coincide with the public interest in royalty and regalia after the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937;