The Sceptre with the Dove, also known as the Rod with the Dove or the Rod of Equity and Mercy, is a sceptre of the British Crown Jewels. It was originally made for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661. Its design included a gold rod with bands of gemstones, surmounted by a sphere and an enamelled dove, representing the Holy Ghost.
The Sceptre with the Dove symbolises the spiritual authority of the Monarch under the Cross. The Sceptre with the Cross, another sceptre in the Crown Jewels, represents temporal or lay authority. During the coronation, the Monarch holds the Sceptre with the Dove in the left hand and the Sceptre with the Cross in the right while the Archbishop of Canterbury places St Edward's Crown on his or her head.
The Sceptre with the Dove, and the other Crown Jewels, may be found on display at Jewel House in the Tower of London.
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Famous quotes containing the words sceptre and/or dove:
““Mother of heaven, regina of the clouds,
O sceptre of the sun, crown of the moon,
There is not nothing, no, no, never nothing,
Like the clashed edges of two words that kill.””
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)
“They were masculine toys. They were tall wishes. They were the ribs of the modern world.”
—Rita Dove (b. 1952)