The tomb lid
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Tomb lid with Frederick’s portrait

The tomb of Emperor Frederick III is sealed with a huge red Adnet marble lid, decorated with a portrait of the ruler by Dutch sculptor Niklas Gerhaert van Leyden which took 5 years of painstaking work to complete. Frederick appears in his coronation apparel, the paradigm of a universal, Christian ruler.

Frederick is the first and last member of the Habsburgs to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Nicholas V in 1452. As well as wearing a crown that exceeds the dimensions of the actual imperial crown, he is accompanied by 3 further crowns: a hoop crown with a bishop’s mitre, a mitre crown with a cross and the open double crown of Lombardy. He stands at ease on a six-cornered pedestal while a lion guards the throne and holds the imperial coat of arms. Reminiscent of King Solomon, who had lions on the armrests of his throne and 6 steps leading up to it.

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