Regalia of Russian Tsars
Boris Godunov
Sceptre and orb

Huge golden orb is crowned with a cross. In the higher zone it is girt with girdles separating it into four sections with chased compositions of the Old Testament King David’s life scenes: “Chrosmation of King David by Prophet Samuel”, “David’s mastering Goliath”, “Coming home with the victory”, “Persecution from Saul”. Bright enamels on relief images, shining gems – green emeralds, red rubies, blue sapphires, begirt by enamel ornamentations - blend beautiful colours in a luminous stream.
The golden scepter is graceful and proportional, with rich and dainty ornamental motifs. The heads of cherubs, flowers and clusters of fruits suspended on ribbons – everything belongs to a unique, rhythmically sized composition.
Scepter and orb are magnificent creations of West-European Jewelry of Late Renaissance. By the way, the enamels on relief technique was not known to Russian goldsmiths of that time.
There are reasons to consider the scepter and orb to belong to the set of gifts, brought to Tsar Boris Godunov in 1604 by the Great Embassy of Rudolf II, Emperor of the Great Roman Empire. The scepter and orb, miraculously survived through the Hard Time, must have been used in 1613 in crowning of Michael Fyodorovich, first Tsar of the Romanov Dynasty.
For later on during the whole reigning of Michael Fyodorovich they were unique regalia of the kind and belonged to the so called Grand set complex of especially valuable regalia.