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The pen drawing of the imperial crown is one of the preliminary studies for the imperial portrait of Charlemagne, who appears in his imperial regalia complete with the imperial jewels. The imperial insignia, the so-called regalia, together with the imperial relics, formed the so-called "Heiltum" that was publicly displayed once a year. Dürer produced the individual studies directly from the originals. In contrast to the other two preliminary drawings of the imperial sword and orb, the crown is depicted in detail, from the shape and type of precious stones and jewels right down to the small inscribed plates with the figures of saints and scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
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