Turquoise Tiara Turquoise Necklace Turquoise Brooch |Wedding Princess Sophia of Prussia | Sophia Queen of the Hellenes| Greece Royal Jewels
The morning of the Royal wedding in Athens was splendidly sunny, with the locals referring to it as „King’s weather.“ The King of Greece, like Queen Victoria, was renowned for his luck with auspicious skies for such occasions. The scent of myrtle filled the city’s streets, where it had been generously used for decorations, transforming Athens into a town of myrtle. The whole town was adorned with flags, evergreens, and triumphal arches at all major street intersections. Early in the day, people from the surrounding countryside flocked to the town, and the national costumes of the peasants added to the picturesque scene. At five o’clock, a salute of five guns was fired, and the bugle calls rang out from all points about the town through the clear morning air, bringing the streets to life with animation. This animation quickly developed into enthusiasm of the wildest description that Athens has ever seen. Every inch of vantage ground along the route followed by the bridal procession was taken up, with all the windows occupied by ladies, gentlemen, and children, and thousands of people viewing the parade from the roofs of houses. The streets were lined with soldiers, and for weeks there had been the keenest desire to obtain tickets for the Cathedral to witness the wedding ceremony.
The first lady to appear in the diplomatic circle was Mrs. Ylakos, dressed in a magnificent Greek costume of white, red, and gold. She was followed by Madame Traubenborg in a court costume, with a pink train and a white satin front, surmounted by a headdress with a pink band ornamented with diamond stars, from which depended a veil. They were closely followed by Olanesko in a sky blue dress with a gold train, Princess Antzo in a costume of red velvet with pink cut en train, a pink front trimmed with gold, and a grand display of diamonds, Madame Rackmetiew wearing a Russian costume of orange and gold, Ojeda with a white Spanish mantilla about her head, Baroness Kosjek in a light blue dress trimmed with gold embroidery, and Lady Monson in a pretty pink silk costume trimmed with gold. The ladies of the Court followed, led by Theocheri, Madame Bapountzakis, and Madame Anargyro, all wearing the national Greek Court costume.
Their entrance was immediately followed by 96 ladies belonging to the suites of the Empress of Germany, the Queen of Italy, the Princess of Wales, and the Empress Frederick, with those of the latter dressed in sombre colours.
The Royal party left the palace at eleven o’clock, and the bride, though nervous, looked very happy. She gracefully acknowledged the applause of the people, who were all pleased with her girlish sweetness. Upon their arrival at the Cathedral, the Metropolitan greeted them at the door.
The company entered the church in the following order: The French Ambassador accompanied the Empress of Germany; the Emperor of Germany escorted the Empress Frederick; the King of Denmark accompanied the Queen of Italy; the Prince of Wales accompanied the Queen of Denmark; Prince Henry of Prussia and the Princess of Wales; the Czarewitch and the Princess of Saxe-Meiningen. Then followed the Duke of Sparta and the Princess Sophie. The ceremony began immediately, with the Empress Frederick leading her daughter to the table and the King of Greece leading his son. The ceremony was of the most impressive character and lasted an hour and a quarter. The wedding service was conducted by the Metropolitan of Athens, Gerraanos, assisted by the Archbishops and Bishops of Greece, all in magnificent vestments. A platform, about a foot high, had been erected, occupying a good half of the floor beneath the dome in front of the altar. ….more
Fürstenberg Turquoise Tiara, Diadem mit Türkisen und Diamanten – der Fürstenfamilie zu Fürstenberg – Princess Marie Antoinette of Fuerstenbergs Tiara, Fürstin Fürstenberg Princess zu Fürstenberg Turquoise Flower Tiara with diamonds| similar to a design of A.E. Köchert, made by Pivot in 1825-1835 for a necklace/diadem.
Gems like the breast bow, „the Saxon white“ diamond, Queen Amalia Auguste’s diamond necklace,four coat buttons, the large diamond rose, and the sword blade are still missing.
Fehlt das Brillantcollier von Königin Amalia Auguste || The important diamond necklace of Queen Amalia Auguste of Saxony Wettin Royal Jewels
Broken, rusted, scratched: The loot that was seized from the Green Vault is in worse condition than expected. This also affects the deal that the alleged thieves negotiated with the prosecutors.
When it became known in December that the jewels had emerged from the Green Vault. Three years earlier, thieves had broken into the Dresden Residential Palace and stolen numerous sets of jewels from a display case. Shortly before Christmas, the pieces of jewelery were seized and there was hope that Augustus the Strong’s treasure would soon be complete again. Perhaps the euphoria was a little premature.
As came out on 10th January, in the process of breaking into the Green Vault, a number of pieces of jewelry are more damaged than expected.
Mrs Eve Begov is a restorer at the Dresden State Art Collections. When she tells the district court how she first saw the pieces of jewelry in the State Criminal Police Office, she doesn’t let the art-historical significance of this situation be noticed. Objectively, she tells how the three of them bent over the jewelry packed in bags – and saw traces of the devastation. Moisture damage, rust and dripping under gemstones. The epaulette, which had given its name to the police investigative group, was broken into five pieces, had scratches and a torn rivet pin. And the breast star of the Polish Order of the White Eagle, set with diamonds and originally said to be intact, is also deformed and lacks a ray tip.
This is not only of great importance in terms of art history, but also from a legal point of view. Because the stones were returned by the alleged thieves themselves. Six young men have been on trial in Dresden for the theft since early 2022. However, this also depends on how much damage has been repaired.
The Green Vault at Dresden. This is what the pieces of jewelry from the Green Vault in Dresden looked like on display, before they were stolen. The sword, for example, is battered and broken into nine pieces.
The court begins the day of the hearing with the words: „A lot has happened.“
That might be the understatement of the year, just handing over the jewels was cinematic. A chief inspector a tells how he found out in mid-December that he could pick up the jewels in Berlin. Late at night, his team of prosecutors rushed into a Berlin law firm, and they were lying on the conference table: 31 pieces of jewelry, many more parts than were stolen. „As a layman“ that surprised him at first, but he quickly realized that numerous jewels had simply broken into pieces. The sword, for example: It was disassembled into nine individual parts, 23 stones were gone, the blade was missing completely.
After all, the police got clues from the defenders as to where to look: in the Neukölln shipping canal, where upon police divers got into the water there on the Christmas holidays.
It was now also known in court what had been going on behind the scenes since the summer. Accordingly, from August, there were exploratory talks between defense attorneys and the public prosecutor’s office about a possible return of the jewelry.
At the beginning of December, the defense lawyer for a defendant who had already confessed to being involved in the coup came forward.
Defense attorneys and the public prosecutor’s office then discussed the cornerstones of a procedural agreement, also known as a „deal“. In return, for confessions and the return of 18 of the 21 pieces of jewelry, a certain range of punishment should be guaranteed, and pre-trial detention should be suspended when the verdict is announced. The jewelry was handed over on December 17th.
But the deal didn’t quite meet the prosecutor’s expectations. Three fewer pieces were returned than stated. In addition, some pieces of jewelry were damaged and some were „significantly affected“, apparently also when cleaning was attempted.
It will still take some effort to bring the art treasures back to their old condition. Mrs Begov estimates the cost of the restoration alone at 126,000 euros, not including the numerous precious stones that need to be replaced.
And gems like the breast bow, the Saxon white diamond of 49,84 ct., Queen Amalia Auguste’s diamond necklace, four coat buttons, the large diamond rose and the sword blade are still missing.
The large rose cut diamond of 12,812ct
Quoted from the Süddeutsche Zeitung / Grünes Gewölbe Dresden.
Only two large pieces are missing – the Epaulette with the „sächsischen Weissen“ Diamond
Epaulette with the „Saxon White“ diamond from the diamond set
Diespach, Franz Michael (before 1725-about 1791) – jewelerPallard, Jean Jacques (1701-1776) – JewelerGlobig, Christian August (before 1747-1798) – jeweler
Dresden, between 1782 and 1789
large white brilliant of 49.84 ct., round large brilliant of 21.01 ct. and round large brilliant of 39.53 ct., medium and small brilliants, silver, gold-plated silver
Epaulette mit dem sog. „Sächsischen Weißen“ aus der Brillantgarnitur
Diespach, Franz Michael (vor 1725-um 1791) – JuwelierPallard, Jean Jacques (1701-1776) – JuwelierGlobig, Christian August (vor 1747-1798) – Juwelier
Dresden, zwischen 1782 und 1789
großer weißer Brillant von 49,84 ct., rundlicher großer Brillant von 21,01 ct. und rundlicher großer Brillant von 39,53 ct., mittlere und kleine Brillanten, Silber, vergoldetes Silber
L 20,4 cm
Epaulette mit dem sog. „Sächsischen Weißen“ aus der Brillantgarnitur Diespach, Franz Michael (vor 1725-um 1791) – Juwelier Pallard, Jean Jacques (1701-1776) – Juwelier Globig, Christian August (vor 1747-1798) – Dresden, zwischen 1782 und 1789 Material und Technik großer weißer Brillant von 49,84 ct., rundlicher großer Brillant von 21,01 ct. und rundlicher großer Brillant von 39,53 ct., mittlere und kleine Brillanten, Silber, vergoldetes Silber Abmessungen L 20,4 cm
Große Brustschleife aus dem Schmuck der Königinnen
made by Globig, Christian August (vor 1747-1798) – Juwelier
Dresden, 1782
51 große und 611 kleine Brillanten, Silber, Gold
B. 21,4 cm, H. 12,5 cm, T. 5,0 cm
Die große Brustschleife wurde am 25.11.2019 aus dem Juwelenzimmer des Historischen Grünen Gewölbes entwendet.
Schmuckschleifen dieser Art, die unterhalb des Ausschnittes getragen wurden, dienten bis in die Zeit um 1800 als höfischer Damenschmuck. 1782 ließ Kurfürst Friedrich August III. die Brustschleife mit ungewöhnlich reichem Diamantbesatz für seine Gemahlin Amalie Auguste herstellen. Das Geschenk, das wohl aus Anlass der Geburt ihres ersten Kindes entstand, wurde dem offiziellen Repräsentationsschmuck des Hauses Wettin zugeordnet und damit Bestandteil des Grünen Gewölbes. Zur Herstellung griff man auf Diamanten zurück, die von 27 Rockknöpfen und 12 Westenknöpfen sowie aus weiteren Schmuckstücken der überkommenen Brillantgarnitur stammten. Die Brustschleife ist als ein plastisch gearbeitetes, gerafft erscheinendes Band mit herabhängenden Endstücken geformt. Das Zentrum des breiten Schmuckstückes bildet der, in seiner ursprünglichen Kastenfassung erhaltene, Hemdenknopf der Brillantgarnitur. Insgesamt ist die Schleife mit 51 großen sowie 611 mittleren bis kleinen Brillanten besetzt. Das Gesamtgewicht der verwendeten Brillanten beträgt ca. 614 Karat. Die prachtvolle Brustschleife wiegt mit Fassung 556 g, was sicherlich den Tragekomfort als Schmuck etwas eingeschränkte. Doch noch von Königin Carola von Sachsen wurde die Brustschleife in den 70er und 80er Jahren des 19. Jahrhunderts gelegentlich zu höfischen Veranstaltungen getragen.
and also still missing:
Große Brustschleife aus dem Schmuck der Königinnen Large breast bow from the jewelry of the queens
The large breast bow was stolen from the jewel room of the historic Green Vault on November 25th, 2019. Decorative bows of this type, which were worn below the neckline, served as courtly women’s jewelery until around 1800. In 1782 Elector Friedrich August III. make the breast bow with an unusually rich diamond trimming for his wife Amalie Auguste. The gift, which was probably created on the occasion of the birth of her first child, was assigned to the official representative jewelery of the House of Wettin and was thus part of the Green Vault. Diamonds were used for the production, which came from 27 coat buttons and 12 waistcoat buttons as well as from other pieces of jewelery from the traditional set of diamonds. The breast bow is shaped as a three-dimensional, gathered-appearing band with hanging end pieces.
The shirt button of the diamond set, which has been preserved in its original box setting, forms the center of the wide piece of jewellery.
The loop is set with a total of 51 large and 611 medium to small diamonds. The total weight of the diamonds used is approx. 614 carats. The magnificent breast bow weighs 556 g with the setting, which certainly limited the wearing comfort as a piece of jewelry. However, Queen Carola of Saxony still occasionally wore the breast bow to court events in the 1970s and 80s.
Burglary in the Historic Green Vault
A significant part of the loot was seized
On the night of December 16th to 17th, 2022 in Berlin, the Dresden public prosecutor, Soko Epaulette and the LKA Sachsen seized a significant part of the stolen goods stolen during the break-in into the Green Vault.
After an initial inspection, there are 31 individual pieces, including several pieces that appear to be complete, such as the hat decoration (heron tail) and the breast star of the Polish Order of the White Eagle from the diamond set.
Among other things, the epaulette with the „Saxon White“ that was damaged during the theft and the large breast bow of Queen Amalie Auguste are missing.
The secured items were transferred to Dresden under the protection of special police forces and will first be examined there forensically and then by specialists from the Dresden State Art Collections to ensure their authenticity and completeness.
This was preceded by exploratory talks between the defense and the public prosecutor’s office, including the court, on a possible settlement of the procedure and the return of any booty that was still there. Everything else must be reserved for the further course of the main hearing, which will continue on Tuesday, December 20th, 2022. Further information is therefore currently not possible.
The discovery comes during the trial of six suspects over the raid of the Green Vault museum. The trial was opened in January and is set to resume on Tuesday.
„Exploratory talks“ between defense and the prosecution toward the return of the stolen items led to a breakthrough, police and prosecutors said, without providing further information.
Special police have escorted the retrieved items from Berlin back to Dresden, where experts will verify them for their authenticity.
The six suspects, aged between 22 and 28, are accused of severe gang theft and arson. All of them allegedly belong to Berlin’s „Remmo“ clan.
Allerdings gibt es noch einen weiteren Knackpunkt: Denn wie die berichtet wird, ist die zurückgegebene Beute ist offenbar ramponiert. Sie sei erlegt und geplündert. Nur wenige der zurückgegebenen Schmuckstücke schienen vollständig, manche Stücke fehlen ganz. Die Zeitung zitiert , wonach der Schmuck Wasserschäden habe, die Restaurierung sei nur unter großem Aufwand möglich.
Eine offizielle Bestätigung dafür gab es nicht. Experten der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) nehmen die Beutestücke weiter unter die Lupe. Dabei seien etwa eine Restauratorin und eine Sammlungsverwalterin, hieß es. Wo genau die Juwelen und Schmuckstücke untersucht werden, darüber machten die SKD keine Angaben. Auch wann mögliche Ergebnisse präsentiert werden sollen, blieb zunächst offen. Im Landeskriminalamt (LKA) Sachsen wurden die Beutestücke nach Angaben eines Sprechers bereits kriminaltechnisch untersucht.
Sources:Das Grüne Gewölbe; the Saxony Police office.
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