Crown and nimbus

Sometimes, like in Saint-Denis, Ancient Testament kings wear both a crown and a nimbus.
The nimbus, or halo, is a crown made of light placed around the head of holy characters. In medieval iconography, it takes the shape of a circle centered around the upper part of the character's head.


Antoine Benoist, statue-colonne : roi nimbé sur une base double, Saint-Denis, cloître de l’abbaye. Paris, BNF, département des Manuscrits, fr. 15634, fol. 46
Antoine Benoist : Column statue of a crowned king
with a nimbus on a double base
, Saint-Denis, cloister of the Royal Abbey 
Paris, BNF, département des Manuscrits, fr. 15634, fol. 46

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