A hat in transit

In the litter on the way to Vienna

Commentators described in detail the ceremonious collection of the archducal hat from Klosterneuburg Monastery and its reinstatement the day after the act of hereditary homage. The archducal hat was taken from the treasury and handed over to the imperial commissars in a leather case.

At the foot of the Kaiserstiege or Emperor’s Steps waited a litter, in which the valuable object was secured with a silk band. During its depature from Klosterneuburg and arrival in Vienna hours later the litter served not only as a mode of transport but as a portable display case for the crown.