Origin of name
The "Crown of the Andes," one of the most renowned pieces of Jewelry of
16th-century origin, is perhaps one of the first pieces of jewelry to be
adorned with emeralds of Colombian origin, after the discovery of emeralds
in Colombia in the mid-16th century. The renowned piece represents one of
the finest surviving examples of the craftsmanship of 16th century Spanish
goldsmiths. The name "Crown of the Andes" reflects the place of origin of
the emerald-studded gold crown, which is the city of Popayan, high up in the
Andes, founded by the Spanish in 1537. The crown was offered as a gesture of gratitude
to the Virgin Mary, by the residents of Popayan, for miraculously saving the
city from the scourge of a devastating epidemic of smallpox in the region, that originated in Ecuador and
eventually spread to Colombia, wiping out many human settlements,
including neighboring villages in the year 1590. The crown was designed and
executed by Spanish goldsmiths, using gold and emeralds donated by the
indigenous Inca population, on a suggestion made by the Catholic Bishop of Popayan that the people do something to thank the Virgin Mary for her timely
intervention.
Characteristics of the Crown
The design and construction of the Crown began in 1593, and almost 24
goldsmiths were involved in the project. The intention of the initiators of
this laudable project, was to turnout a crown that exceeded in beauty,
grandeur and value the crown of any reigning monarch on this mundane earth,
in order to become a befitting gift to the heavenly Virgin. The
villagers donated large quantities of gold which were melted down to form a
solid block of gold, from which the frame of the
crown was designed. The villagers also donated a large number of rough
emeralds, which were cut and finished as table-cut gemstones, the
simple cutting style in vogue at that time. Emeralds taken by the Spanish
conquistadors from the last king of the Incas, Atahualpa, in 1532, who was
captured and executed by the Spanish, was also incorporated in the Crown.
The Inca ruler was said to have been riding in a litter or palanquin, paved
with 190 pounds of gold and studded with clusters of emeralds, at the time
of his capture. The largest emerald incorporated in the crown, the 45-carat
Atahualpa emerald is reputed to be one of the emeralds seized from the king
at the time of his capture. The crown was set with 453 emeralds having a
total weight of 1,500 carats, out of which 17 were pear-shaped emeralds
hanging from the crown.
The bottom-half of the crown was a circlet rising to eight points. that was
pierced and embossed with elaborately entwined acanthus scrolls, and mounted
with clusters of table-cut emeralds. The two intersecting arches were also
pierced and mounted with emeralds, and was surmounted by the orb carrying a
small cross on top of it. The entire framework of the crown was made up of
sovereign gold. Work on the crown was completed after six years in 1599, and
the finished crown had a weight of 4.8 pounds, standing at a height of 13
inches. An elaborate thanksgiving ceremony was then organized in the
cathedral by the Bishop of Popayan, in 1599, which was attended by the
entire populace of the hilltop city in the Andes mountain range. The
ceremony culminated in the coronation of the more than life-size statute of
the Virgin Mary in the cathedral, with the "Crown of Andes" placed on its
head, by the Catholic Bishop of Popayan.
History of the Crown of Andes
The founding of the City of Popayan by
Sebastian de Belalcazar in 1537
Sebastian de Belalcazar was born in 1495 in Benalcazar, Spain. In 1519 at
the age of 24 he joined the Spanish Conquistadors who sailed to the New
World, to conquer and colonize new lands on behalf of the Spanish Crown. At
first Sebastian joined the forces of Pedro Arias Davila as an officer, and
in 1524 was sent as the head of an expedition that attacked and successfully
conquered Nicaragua. In 1531, he joined Francisco Pizarro's expedition to
Peru, and was given command of the supporting base at Piura. In 1533, under
orders from Francisco Pizarro he led an attack and conquered the region what
is now known as Ecuador. He defeated the forces of Inca Chief Ruminahui and
on December 6, 1534, occupied the ancient Indian city of Quito, which is now
the capital city of Ecuador. In 1535, he founded a new settlement which
subsequently was moved to more healthy surroundings and became the modern
city of Guayaquil. In 1537, Sebastian de Belalcazar led an expedition
towards the southwest of Colombia, in search of the legendary city of
Eldorado. He conquered the region and founded the city of Popayan, in 1537,
high up in the Andes mountain range, 5,700 feet (2,241m) above sea level,
and became the Governor of the region. Today, Popayan is the capital of the
Cauca departamento, of Southwestern Colombia, situated at the base of the
15,603 feet (4,756m) Purace Volcano.
Popayan became a frontier town during the Spanish gold rush. In 1547
the city became a bishopric. The Jesuits founded a University and also built
a cathedral in the prosperous years that followed. Landowners and mining
entrepreneurs settled in Popayan during the colonial period. The city also
attained major cultural and religious importance. The architecture of the
buildings that were constructed in Popayan, had a distinctive Spanish style.
Today, Popayan with its many beautiful old buildings is often referred
to as the "Florence" of South America.
A devastating plague hits the region in 1590
The colonization of the New World by Europeans not only destroyed
established ancient civilizations in the region but also introduced new
microbes into the region that devastated vast populations who were hitherto
not exposed to these disease causing agents. Smallpox and bubonic plague
were the more virulent type of infections that decimated large populations.
One such devastating epidemic of smallpox was reported from Ecuador in 1590,
which soon spread across the region into neighboring Peru, Colombia and
Brazil. The disease entered southwestern Colombia, and swept across many
coastal villages. The news of the epidemic reached the isolated hilly
outpost of Popayan, and the population of the town became panicky and were
preparing to flee the town. The priests of the Roman Catholic church
intervened and pleaded with the population to stay put, and seek the divine
intervention of the Blessed Virgin. The terror-stricken population agreed
and prayed to the Blessed Mother for her help. Their prayer was answered and
the Virgin Mary delivered the town from the plague. The faithful believed
that the Holy Virgin curtailed the spread of the vermin, preventing it from
entering the city. But, a more rational explanation attributed the city's
escape from the plague to its isolation at the top of the mountains, 5,700
feet above sea level.
Popayan's gesture of gratitude to the Virgin
Mary
The Catholic Bishop of Popayan proposed that the population of the town do
something to thank the Virgin Mary for her intervention. In response to this
suggestion leading citizens of the town decided to commission a crown
befitting the divinely status of the Virgin, and invite the reverend Bishop
to perform the coronation of the statute of the Virgin Mary, in the
cathedral of Popayan. It was also stipulated that the completed crown should
surpass all other crowns in the world, both of reigning monarchs as well as
ex-monarchs who had been relegated to history, in beauty, grandeur and
value, to show the clear distinction between the mundane and the spiritual.
The people of Popayan were asked to donate in cash and kind for the success
of this laudable project. The response of the people was spontaneous, and
large amounts of gold and emeralds, two valuable resources that were found
abundantly in the land of the Incas, were donated for the success of the
project. Work on the crown began in 1593, and 24 skilled craftsmen were
deployed on the project, which was finally completed after six years in
1599. The completed crown was undoubtedly one of the most splendorous crowns
ever made in the history of mankind. After the crown was completed the
Bishop of Popayan performed the coronation of the statute of Virgin Mary, in
the cathedral of Popayan, at an elaborate thanksgiving ceremony organized
for the purpose.
The Confraternity of the Immaculate
Conception
The "Crown of Andes" became the most valuable of the ecclesiastical
treasures of Popayan, and was seen by the faithful only once a year during a
spectacular procession organized to celebrate the Holy Week. The fame of the
crown spread far and wide, and was coveted by thieves, treasure hunters,
pirates and mercenaries. In order to protect the valuable treasures the
leaders of the church congregation formed an organization known as the
"Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception." Members of the
Confraternity whisked the crown and other relics to the jungles, whenever
the town was invaded. However, in spite of these precautions there were
occasions when the crown was seized by different groups. In the year 1650,
the "Crown of Andes" was captured by the English privateers, from whom the
Spanish re-captured the crown, after almost three days of bitter street
fighting. Again, in 1812, Simon Bolivar, the revolutionary, who fought
against Spanish imperialism, and was responsible for the liberation of the
Spanish colonies of Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, captured the "Crown
of Andes," but later returned it to Popayan. After this the crown was
dismantled and divided between several guardians, who hid the components in
different places, and was only brought together for the annual celebrations.
As a result of these stringent precautionary measures, the "Crown of Andes"
survived until the 20th century, whereas most other jewelry of this period
had their gemstones removed from their settings, and then melted down and
remounted in contemporary designs. Thus the "Crown of Andes" became one of
the finest surviving examples of 16th-century Spanish craftsmanship.
Pope Pius X grants permission in 1914 for the
sale of the Crown of Andes
At the beginning of the 20th century the Popayan church needed funds for the
construction of a hospital, a home for the aged and an orphanage, and
therefore decided to sell their most valuable ecclesiastical possession, the
"Crown of the Andes" in order to raise the required funds. They sought the
permission of Pope Pius X for the sale which was duly granted in 1914. The
"Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception" made an all out effort to find
an international buyer for the crown. Czar Nicholas II of Russia learnt
about the proposed sale, and expressed a lot of interest in the crown, but
unfortunately the Russian Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 got in the way of its
successful sale. Plans for the sale of the crown during the next two decades
also stalled due to various reasons, until in the year 1936, a syndicate of
American gem dealers put together by Wheaton's Warren J. Piper, a wholesale
jeweler and diamond exporter, agreed to purchase it. The sale that was
concluded in June 1936, realized a sum of $ 125,000. In fact Warren J.
Piper had heard about the sale of the crown in 1915, and since then had been
painstakingly at work, putting together the partners of the syndicate and
eventually negotiating the purchase price.
The Crown of Andes is displayed at industrial
shows and museums
In June 1936, the syndicate put the crown on show at the Waldorf-Astoria in
New York. The New York Times reported about the acquisition of the "Crown of
Andes" by the syndicate. In an interview given to the press by Mr. Piper, he
said the intention of the syndicate was to dismantle the crown and sell the
emeralds piecemeal. When asked about the purchase price of the crown he
declined to reveal the price. However, when journalists asked him about the
present estimated value of the crown, he said that emeralds sold at $3,000 a
carat and there were 1,500 carats of emeralds in the crown. When a
journalist said that this would mean that the estimated value of the crown
is $ 4.5 million he answered in the affirmative. In fact it is doubtful
whether the actual value of the crown would have reached a million dollars
in the 1930s.
The renowned crown was then exhibited all over North America, including
twice in Chicago in 1937 and 1940. The syndicate realized that exhibiting
the crown at industrial shows was a very lucrative business, and accordingly
the syndicate agreed to borrow out the crown for all such shows. The General
Motors borrowed the crown in November 1937, for a show organized by the
company to inaugurate its new Chevrolets in Detroit. During the course of
the week the crown was exhibited it is said that it attracted around 225,000
visitors. The crown was also exhibited at the New York World Fair in 1939
and also at the Royal Ontario Museum in 1959. Thus the original intention of
the syndicate to dismantle the crown and sell the emeralds piecemeal never
materialized.
The syndicate decides to sell the Crown of
Andes
However in 1963, the syndicate finally decided to dispose of the crown and
consigned the crown to Sotheby's of London for sale. The bidding at the
auction reached a meager $154,000 and was purchased by the Asscher Diamond
Company of Amsterdam for an unnamed third party.
Proposed sale of Crown of Andes by Christie's
triggers a court case
In 1995, the new owner of the Crown, a descendant of an original syndicate
member, then assigned Christie's to sell the crown, placing a reserve value
of $3 million on it. The proposed sale of the crown by Christie's brought
out from the blues, a new claimant to the crown, which triggered off a court
case that delayed the sale for sometime, until it was settled. The new
claimant to the crown was none other than Richard Piper, the 60-year old son
of Warren J. Piper, one of the original syndicate members, who negotiated
the purchase of the crown from the members of the Confraternity of the
Immaculate Conception.
Piper who was a retired business journalist contacted Christie's challenging
the ownership of the crown, and in support of his claim submitted two
letters to Christie's, allegedly written by his father in 1948. The content
of one of the letters addressed "To my dear little Dickie Piper,"
ran as follows :- "If something should happen to me, I want you to know
that the Crown of the Andes will belong to you........ . Please do
everything possible to protect it and please keep it in the family."
Richard Piper demanded $100,000 from the present owner of the crown, in
order to preclude any legal action in support of his claim. The owner
however refused to oblige, and Piper increased his demands, claiming a 50%
stake in its ownership, and threatened to take legal action to pursue his
claims. The auction house Christie's became suspicious, and called the
police.
The police who investigated the case found that the two letters and another
document, purported to have been written by his father in 1948, were
actually forgeries, typed on a typewriting machine that was not manufactured
until the early 1960s. Handwriting experts testified at the trial that
followed, that Warren Piper's signature had been forged by Richard Piper. U.
S. district judge Harry Leinenweber before whom the trial was taken up found
Richard Piper guilty of the charges of forgery and attempting to defraud by
forgery and other means.
Interest shown by the Colombian government in
restoring the crown to the cathedral of Popayin
After the trial the Crown of the Andes came up for auction at Christie's
still in the year 1995, but failed to reach anywhere near the reserved price
of $3 million, and was withdrawn from the sale. The crown still remains the
property of a descendant of one of the original syndicate members. However,
it has been reported that the Colombian government had shown some interest
in re-purchasing the 400-year old crown, and restoring it to its one time
owners the cathedral of Popayin, in southwestern Colombia. It is hoped that
the Crown of the Andes would once again join the other related relics, the
pair of emerald earrings and the emerald necklace, and the three pieces
together would once again adorn the statute of the Virgin Mary, which
miraculously escaped destruction in the earthquake that hit Popayin in 1983,
and thus restore the statute to its former glory.
Related :-
1)
Patricia Emerald
2)
The Moghul Emerald
3)
The Duke of Devonshire Emerald
4) The Sacred Emerald Buddha
5)
Carolina Queen Emerald
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References
1. The Gemstone Forecaster - Vol. 14, No. 1 - Part
One.
2. Crowning Glory of the Andes - Geraldine Norman,
Independent, The (London), Jun 18, 1995.
3.Thorny Crown - by
Richard Battin, Chicago Magazine, July 1998.
4.The Encyclopaedia
Britannica - 2006, Ultimate reference suite.
