Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Order of the White Eagle, Ceremonial Sword, and Hat Ornament, from the Sapphire Garniture of Augustus the Strong
Johann Melchior Dinglinger German
Not on view
These pieces belong to the oldest of twelve sets of jewels commissioned by Augustus the Strong and his son, Frederick Augustus II. Together, those sets made up most of the Saxon-Polish crown treasure and served as an indispensable sign of royal majesty. The eagle-and-star emblem of the Polish Order of the White Eagle (established by Augustus the Strong in 1705) is the oldest jewel of its kind from a royal collection. The sword was created at the same time as the hat ornament, which features a lynx sapphire from Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) and was used to pin up the brim of a three-cornered hat.
The wearing of sapphires was thought to lend strength and mental fortitude during battle. Augustus the Strong would also have appreciated the sky-colored stone’s associations with the sun god Apollo and absolute royal power.
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