Scepter of Charles V
The Sceptre at this time measured 3 feet 9 inches, weighed 2.2 kg, the shaft engraved with rosette and fleur-de-lis screwed together in five pieces.
An inscription at the base of Charlemagne's seat reads "SANTUS [sic] KAROLUS MAGNUS ITALIA ROMA GALIA ET [?]
Each new French king's acceptance of the Sceptre symbolized the transfer of divine authority and the responsibilities of kingship as well as a connection to Charlemagne.
The history of the Sceptre is punctuated with the repeated transports between Saint-Denis and Reims (about 144 km) and was not always done in the most suitable conditions for this preservation of the objects.
[1] In 1722, in anticipation of the coronation of Louis XV, cases were made for the Sceptre, the Hand of Justice and the clasp, but the objects, poorly place; shifted during the journey.
A commission of experts was appointed to create an inventory of the royal treasury before having it transported to the Mint where the items were to be melted, once the precious stones were extracted.
The members of the Commission, Masson, Sergent and de Bry, who can be suspected of having had secrets of complacency for the monarchy, insist in the minutes on the fact that the objects put aside showed deficiencies in their precious stones, to insinuate, that it was not retable to send them to the Mint.
Napoleon I wished to cement his connection to past rulers in order to legitimize his rule leading to the realization of the project to include in his coronation the ‘Honneurs de Charlemagne’ was entrusted to Vivant Denon, assisted by the goldsmith Martin-Guillaume Biennais and the young architect Joseph Gay.
[citation needed] In 1804, the scepter's shaft was restored using what was until then a separate precious object, known as the staff of Guillaume de Roquémont, originally created in 1394.
The fleur-de-lis was enameled in white in the past, as appears in depictions such as the Madonna of the Vic family by Frans Pourbus the Younger.
Reserved to be deposited at the museum included: the spurs “Joyeuse and its sheath, the paten of serpentine, the clasp of the coronation, the Sceptre of Charlemagne.
`Remains at Notre dame till 1816 1806 – Depicted in Napoleon I on His Imperial Throne by Jean- August-Dominique Ingres 1816 – Sent to the Garde-Meuble 1825 – Coronation of Charles X – Reims 1829 – Depicted in King Charles X in Coronation Robes by Jean-August-Dominique Ingres 1841 – Depicted in La Sagesse divine donnant des lois aux rois et aux législateurs (Divine Wisdom giving laws to kings and legislator) by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse 1848 – Housed at the Ministry of Finance 1853 – Returned to the louvre, exhibited at the “Musée des souverains”.
