Regalia of Russian Tsars
Michael Fyodorovich
Crown, orb and sceptre

Marvelous items, regalia of Tsar Michael Fyodorovich, - crown, scepter and orb,- were symbols of power of the Moscow ruler, and in the XVIIth century belonged to the Grand Ruler’s Set, which, except for the state regalia, included an armour set, that accompanied the Tsar in processions, e.g. military companies and hunting.

The crown of Michael Fyodorovich was executed by Kremlin masters in 1627. Together with the scepter and orb executed by West European makers it forms a bright ensemble of the second part of the XVIth century – epoch of the late Renaissance.

The huge golden orb is adorned with chased scenes from the Old Testament telling the life story of King David.

 The scepter and orb are considered to belong to the set of donations brought to Tsar Boris Godunov in 1604 by the Great Embassy of Rudolph II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The orb and scepter, miraculously survived through the Hard Time, must have been used in 1613 in the crowning of Tsar Michael Fyodorovich, the first Tsar of the Romanov Dynasty.

Later on, during the reign of Tsar Michael Fyodorovich they were the only regalia of the kind in the royal treasury and according to the inventory belonged to the so called “Grand set”, a complex of especially valuable regalia. The crown, the orb and the scepter are three monuments of different time and artistic traditions, but of same beauty. The three items are usually called “The Grand set” of Tsar Michael Fyodorovich.