In one of the showcases of the Apollo Gallery in the Louvre in Paris, there is an intricately crafted gold brooch, set with almost 150 rubies, a hessonite garnet (formerly known as hyacinth) and a pearl, depicting an eagle from the second quarter of the 17th century. This heraldic jewel, created by an unidentified artist, was probably created in France on the order of King Władysław IV Vasa of Poland (1595-1648) for his first wife, Cecilia Renata Habsburg (1611-1644). What was the significance of the brooch to its first owner and what function did such jewels have in the society of the time?

Heraldic jewels at the court of the Vasa dynasty

From the second half of the 16th century, jewellery with images of coats of arms or heraldic emblems became popular in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Such images were usually placed on clasps, bracelets, pendants and rings. This fashion on the Vistula was most likely initiated by the Habsburg wives of Sigismund III Vasa. Women from the imperial Habsburg dynasty used to receive, as a wedding gift, pendants with the image of the imperial two-headed eagle, which was a symbol of 'ruling the world' (Letkiewicz).

In an effort to continue the tradition, the Habsurg duchesses, after taking over the reign of the Republic, displayed heraldic jewels on their breasts when posing for official portraits in their new role as queens, including those with images of the White Eagle. The oldest oil painting depicting a jewel with a representation of the White Eagle is believed to be a portrait of Anna Jagiellonka from around 1592.

The popularity of eagle iconography in the heraldry of empires and kingdoms was due to its symbolism, which changed depending on the era and context. The eagle evoked positive associations with strength, justice, courage and care, a result of its recognition as the king of birds already in antiquity. In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the eagle was a symbol of power from the 13th century onwards. In the modern period, the rise in popularity of eagle iconography, especially in art and jewellery, was linked to the spread of emblematics. Representations were often subjected to a variety of stylisations.

From the second half of the 16th century, jewellery with images of the White Eagle, worn by queens of the Vasa dynasty from the second half of the 16th century during official events and when posing for portraits, was intended to emphasise their status and ties to the royal dynasty. It was a symbol of the splendour of the court and the prestige of the state, and testified to the majesty of the monarchy affiliated with the Austrian Empire.

The White Eagle brooch in the Louvre

Among the jewellery on display in a small showcase in the Apollo Gallery in the Louvre is a gold enamel brooch encrusted with garnet, emerald, 149 rubies and pearl, in the shape of an eagle with outspread wings and a crown on its head. In its talons the bird holds the royal insignia: on the left a golden scepter with sapphire, and on the right an apple covered in dark blue enamel, surmounted by a Latin cross with rubies. The body of the eagle is formed by a heart-shaped faceted garnet. The bird's wings and tail are inlaid with irregular fine rubies, and a pearl dangles from its tail. At the bottom of the regalia are hollow pendants, which were probably originally decorated with precious stones.

History of the object

Donated to the Louvre collection in 1832, the jewel is the subject of much speculation among historians. Some researchers link the jewel to the 16th century and the Jagiellonian dynasty. According to this theory, the gem was supposed to have found its way to France through Henry of Valois, who may have taken it from the Polish royal treasury or ordered it in France to commemorate his reign in Poland. This hypothesis led to the jewel being sketched on the chest of Henry of Valois in Jan Matejko's 1891 portrait of the king from the series 'Poczet królów i książąt polskich'. Others consider the jewel to be a Renaissance or Mannerist work. Prior to its arrival at the Louvre, the object was in the collection of King Louis XIV of France. In the royal inventory of the period before 1673, it appears next to items from the collection of King John Casimir, which has led to its association with Polish ancestry.

Currently, the jewel is most often attributed to a French workshop and dated to around 1640-1660, which does not definitively exclude its links to Poland. A similar brooch appears in several official portraits of Cecilia Renata Habsburg from this period, including a painting in the collection of the Old Pinakothek in Munich. The portraits of the first wife of Ladislaus IV Vasa wearing jewellery with the image of the White Eagle were intended to symbolise her legitimacy as Queen of Poland and to emphasise the status of the Commonwealth as a modern, prosperous European state.

The history of the journey that the jewel with the image of the White Eagle would have taken from the Polish royal court to the French court is also shrouded in mystery. After the death of Cecilia Renata Habsburg, the brooch, which probably belonged to the private jewels of the Vasa family, may have been given to the second wife of Ladislaus IV, Louise Marie Gonzaga de Nevers (1611-1677). The jewel was then sold, together with a collection of objects from the collection of John Casimir, to Louis XIV in the late 1660s and early 1770s.