Royal Scepters
The most famous symbols of power in the heritage of the National Museum of History of Romania (MNIR) are the ceremonial maces (royal scepters) — objects in a form with deep roots in the Romanian military and princely tradition
Ion Puican, 28.06.2026, 14:00
These pieces can be admired in the Historical Treasure gallery of the MNIR, along with other unique objects of the Royal Family. The most famous of them is the Scepter of King Ferdinand I (1865-1927) (also known as the King’s Mace). King Ferdinand I used it at the coronation ceremony in Alba Iulia, on October 15, 1922. Andrei Grumeza, museographer at the MNIR, tells us about this object with a strong historical charge:
Andrei Grumeza:” The scepter of King Ferdinand I, used during the solemn coronation ceremony in Alba Iulia, on October 15, 1922, is one of the most important regalia of the modern Romanian monarchy. Its importance concerns both the material value and the historical, symbolic and artistic significance of the object. The work was made two years before the coronation, being handed over to King Ferdinand I on May 10, 1920. It was financed by public subscription and represented a sign of the Romanian people’s gratitude towards the sovereign who, in the First World War, linked his name to the perfection of national unity and the birth of Greater Romania. From a formal point of view, the scepter reproduces the shape of a medieval mace. The choice of this shape has a precise significance in the Romanian Middle Ages. The mace, along with the scepter, sword and crown, was one of the signs of princely authority. Therefore, the design of Ferdinand’s scepter in the form of a mace linked the new constitutional monarchy to the tradition of the old Romanian voivodes.”
Designed by the painter Costin Petrescu (1872-1954) and made by the famous jewelry house René Boivin in Paris, the scepter was financed by public subscription. The scepter is made of silver, gold and precious stones. More details about the materials used in the creation of the scepter and its authors are provided by Andrei Grumeza:
Andrei Grumeza: “The piece consists of a globular mace and a cylindrical handle. Designed as a column, the gold mace is decorated with vegetal and geometric motifs, and each sector of it bears the cipher of King Ferdinand I, consisting of two letters F endorsed and stamped with the royal crown. Inside each cipher is a vertical row of pearls, which gives the piece a solemn and precious character. The globular body is intersected by silver meridians, provided with triangular spikes, elements that emphasize the character of a medieval ceremonial weapon. The scepter mace is surmounted by the head of a cruciform eagle. The eagle carries a Latin cross in its beak, and its representation is close to that on the Romanian state coat of arms. This detail links the object to the person of the king and the authority of the state. The scepter thus appears as a sign of public power, state continuity and historical legitimacy. On two of the rays of the mace there are inscriptions in large, incised and gilded Roman letters, which record the authors of the work. The project belongs to Costin Petrescu, and the execution is by the René Boivin house in Paris. The choice of Costin Petrescu was inspired, the artist having a deep knowledge of old Romanian art. He created an original work, in which the motif of the mace combines with that of the triumphal column and with the symbolism of Greater Romania. The execution was entrusted to one of the most important jewelry houses of the era, led by Jean Boivin at the time. Costin Petrescu collaborated for many weeks with the Parisian workshop, supervising the details of the execution, so that the Romanian historical and artistic project would be transposed into a work of exceptional quality. One of the most ingenious elements of the scepter is the four female representations that support the mace. These characters, dressed in Romanian folk costumes and holding hands, symbolize the united provinces: namely Romania, Bessarabia, Transylvania and Bukovina. They stand on the capital of a column like caryatids, supporting the upper part of the mace. The classic image of winged victory is thus replaced here with the symbolic representation of the unity of the Romanians. The liberation of the Romanians from foreign rule and their unification into a single state offered the most appropriate allegory of victory for that era. The scepter handle, reproducing an architectural column, bears an inscription arranged in spiral registers. The letters imitate the duct of solemn Romanian inscriptions in Cyrillic characters from the 17th and 18th centuries. The text records that the mace was given to King Ferdinand by the people “as a worthy ruler and victor, in commemoration of the war fought between 1916-1919, for the emancipation and unification of the entire Romanian nation”. From a technical point of view, the piece is of remarkable complexity. It combines gold, silver, gilded silver, white enamel and turquoise. The techniques used include hammering, casting, engraving, enameling and chiseling. The total length of the object is 70 centimeters, and the weight exceeds 2 kg. Viewed today, Ferdinand I’s scepter appears as a masterpiece of metal art in the neo-Romanian style, with obvious Art Nouveau echoes. It impresses with the elegance of its forms, the refinement of its decor, the subtlety of its symbols, and so on.”
The scepter of King Ferdinand I is exhibited alongside the Steel Crown and the queens’ crowns. Also part of the collection of royal insignia is the mace of King Carol II, a piece of great artistic and symbolic value. The mace is a unique piece of decorative art and an object with a strong symbolic value, made in 1940 by the sculptor Alexandru Talpoșin-Severin. Andrei Grumeza, museographer at the MNIR, also talks to us about this piece of heritage:
Andrei Grumeza: “The complicated relationship between Carol and the memory of Ferdinand’s reign, as well as the new sovereign’s desire to build his own system of royal representation, led to the emergence of a new symbol of power. The scepter of Carol II was designed in connection with the 10th anniversary of his reign, scheduled for 1940. And it was obviously inspired by Ferdinand’s scepter. Unlike it, the piece intended for Carol II was made entirely of gold and was supposed to mark a new stage in the affirmation of royal authority. However, the political context of 1940 made the ceremonial consecration impossible. The territorial losses suffered by Romania, the collapse of the entire royal regime led to the abdication in September 1940 and prevented the completion and public use of this scepter. While Ferdinand’s scepter remained linked to the triumph of national unity and the coronation at Alba Iulia, the Scepter of Carol II became the expression of an interrupted reign and a ceremony that no longer took place.”
Beyond the brilliance of gold and precious stones, the mace-scepters in the Historical Treasure of the MNIR remain living testimonies of some founding moments in the country’s history — a connection between the Crown and the Romanian people.
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