"The Empress Eugenie Brooch" 2008 Christie's (SOLD)
Price on Request
[32] pp
Christie's New York
2008
10 3/4" x 8 1/2"
Fine
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Details
Estimate
USD 4,000,000 – USD 6,000,000
THE EMPRESS EUGENIE BROOCH
AN ANTIQUE DIAMOND BOW BROOCH, BY KRAMER
Designed as an old mine and old European-cut diamond openwork sculpted bow, suspending two rose, old mine and old European-cut diamond tassels and five articulated graduated old mine-cut diamond cascades set en pampille, mounted in silver-topped gold, circa 1855, 9 x 4½ ins., with maker's mark, (pin detachable with screw back), in a red leather fitted case, inscribed "Diamants de La Couronne de France"
By François Kramer
The silver, gold and diamond bow brooch originally formed the buckle of a diamond belt of 4,000 stones which was exhibited at the Universal Exhibition of 1855, before it was worn by Empress Eugénie, according to the Louvre’s website.
Eugénie is said to have worn the belt, crafted by François Kramer, during a visit by Queen Victoria to the Palace of Versailles in August 1855, and again in June 1856 for the baptism of the Prince Imperial. Eugénie later decided to transform the belt into a brooch and had one of her own jewelers fashion it into a more elaborate standalone piece, adding cascading diamond tassels.
In 1887, the brooch was purchased by jeweler Emile Schlesinger for New York socialite Caroline Astor at auction for 42,200 French francs, according to auction house Christie’s.
The brooch remained in the Astor family for more than a century until the Louvre bought it in 2008, returning the brooch to France. The museum paid 6.72 million euros (more than $10 million at the time) for the brooch, according to the Fondation Napoléan.
Literature
Diamants, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France, March 2001-15 July 2001, exhibition catalogue, page 284
Michael Koch, The Belle Epoque of French Jewellery: 1850-1910, Thomas Heneage & Co. Limited, London, 1990, page 185
Lord Twinning, A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe, London, B.T. Batsford Ltd., 1960, pages 272-288
John Loring, Tiffany Jewels, Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1999, page 97
Bernard Morel, The French Crown Jewels, Antwerp: Fonds Mercator, 1988, page 340
Penny Proddow and Marion Fasel, Diamonds: A Century of Spectacular Jewels, Harry N. Abrams, 1996, New York, page 10
Henri Vever, La Bijouterie Francaise au XIX Siecle (1800-1900), New Edition, Thames & Hudson 2001, page 616
Exhibited
Diamanti: Arte, Storia, Scienza, Scuederie del Quirinale, Rome, 28 February - 14 June 2002, exhibition catalogue, page 218
Precious Gems: Jewellery From Eight Centuries, Nationalmuseum Stockholm, 8 June - 15 October 2000, exhibition catalogue, page 110-111, no. 141
The Belle Epoque of French Jewellery, 1850-1910, Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich, 1 December 1989 - 4 March 1990, exhibition catalogue, page 184-185