File:Ethiopian Crown - Treasury Of The Chapel Of The Tablet (2851464175).jpg

This is one of several antique crowns in the collection of the treasury of the Chapel of the Tablet in Axum, Ethiopia.

I found this crown interesting for several reasons. First, when I enlarged my photo and processed the diamond-shaped fitting on the top to bring out the detail, I was surprised to see it contains what appears to be a stitched piece of fabric or leather behind glass. That indicates the crown doubles as a reliquary. Perhaps the relic is related to the figure in the miniature in the center of the casket-shaped object on which the relic rests.

If so, what is the relic, and with whom is it associated?

Second, the miniatures are interesting because they appear to be painted on the inner surface of pieces of glass. I wonder if the artists who chose this medium were aware of the enamel tradition in the Byzantine Orthodox Church, since the finished product does resemble enamelwork.

Finally, the crown is clearly damaged, but the damage is selective. Most obviously, the crown's centerpiece - the relic - is still in situ. This tells me whoever stole pieces of the crown - assuming it was theft - wasn't a dealer or collector of religious artifacts, at least not the sort that aren't bright and shiny.

Yet someone took the time to pry ornaments from their fittings all over the crown. I'm assuming the pentagonal fittings around the base contained more paintings on glass. Who knows what the other, smaller fittings contained. I'd be tempted to say precious or semi-precious stones, but the horizontal tier just below the dangly bits attached to the base of the casket features empty sockets painted green and red. This suggests at least some of the "jewels" on the crown may have been glass placed on a background painted in a jewel-like color.

Finally, let's assume the crown is gold, gold alloy, or gold plated. Why, then, for pity's sake, didn't the perps just make off with the crown and melt it down for its value in bullion? Why would they take the time to pry out some ornaments and not others?

I think it's possible the removal of the missing ornaments was not a criminal act. The fact the crown is still extant and still contains some of its ornaments suggests the removal of the missing pieces was authorized, perhaps in order to place them in another, newer piece of imperial or ecclesiastical jewelry.