# The Imperial Crown [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [DÜRER, Albrecht]() - Date: 1501-1550 - Technique: Pen drawing with watercolour, 238 x 289 mm ## Commentary The Imperial Crown c. 1510 Pen drawing with watercolour, 238 x 289 mm Kupferstichkabinett, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg The pen drawing of the imperial crown is one of the preliminary studies for the imperial portrait of Charlemagne, who appears in his imperial regalia complete with the imperial jewels. The imperial insignia, the so-called regalia, together with the imperial relics, formed the so-called "Heiltum" that was publicly displayed once a year. Dürer produced the individual studies directly from the originals. In contrast to the other two preliminary drawings of the imperial sword and orb, the crown is depicted in detail, from the shape and type of precious stones and jewels right down to the small inscribed plates with the figures of saints and scenes from the Old and New Testaments. ## Related artworks - [A Young Girl of Cologne and Dürer's Wife]() - [Abduction of a Woman]() - [Abduction of Proserpine on a Unicorn]() - [Adam and Eve]() - [Adam and Eve]() - [Adam and Eve]() - [Adam and Eve]() - [Adam \(detail\)]() - [Adam]() - [Adoration of the Magi \(detail\)]() - [Adoration of the Magi \(detail\)]() - [Adoration of the Magi \(detail\)]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()