
Princess Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg granddaughter of Alexandra Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin| Important Sapphire and Diamond Necklace made by Bolin| Large Sapphire and Diamond Brooch

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The Sapphire and Diamond Necklace of Grand Duchess Alexandra
Durch die Entdeckung im Wiesbadener Staatsarchiv aber gibt es nun den Namen eines weiteren Akteurs beim damaligen Deal: das Ehepaar Louis und Alice Koch. Die beiden Inhaber der Frankfurter Juwelierhandlung Robert Koch waren mit 25 Prozent am Verkauf des Welfenschatzes beteiligt.
Neue Dokumente aufgetaucht: Ist der Welfenschatz doch NS-Raubkunst?
New documents: Is the Welfen treasure of Nazi loot?
The Complex History of the Welf Treasure and Its Restitution Battle
The saga of the Welf Treasure appeared to come to a resolution in 2023 for the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, SPK), which had been embroiled in legal disputes over it since 2008. The restitution claim brought forward by the descendants of four Jewish art dealers, originally based in Frankfurt, seemed to have been decisively rejected.
This significant medieval church treasury, once housed in Braunschweig’s cathedral, was sold in 1929 by Ernst August, the last reigning Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, to a consortium of art dealers for 7.5 million Reichsmarks. Half of the collection was retained by museums in Berlin, specifically in the Kunstgewerbemuseum at the Kulturforum. There, visitors can marvel at splendid artifacts such as crosses, tabernacles, monstrances, and the dome-shaped reliquary adorned with extravagant gold, silver, and ivory work. The other half of the 82-piece collection had long since been sold to American museums and private collectors.
In 2014, the Advisory Commission, which examines claims related to Nazi-looted art, determined that this particular sale was not a case of Nazi-looted property. The art dealer descendants, dissatisfied with this conclusion, escalated their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, in 2021, the court ruled that it did not have jurisdiction, and the case was subsequently dismissed by lower courts as well. Relief spread within the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.
That sense of finality, however, was short-lived. New documents, discovered by chance in the Hessian State Archives in Wiesbaden, have reopened the debate. The documents provide fresh insights into the consortium of four art dealers—Julius F. Goldschmidt, Isaac Rosenbaum, Saemy Rosenberg, and Zacharias M. Hackenbroch—whose descendants have been fighting to reclaim the treasure.
The 2014 Advisory Commission had determined that the sale, finalized in 1935, occurred without Nazi coercion and at a fair market price of 4.5 million Reichsmarks, which was allegedly paid out in full. Sotheby’s 2014 appraisal valued the 44 pieces now housed in the Kunstgewerbemuseum at $300 million. However, the newly discovered archives reveal a crucial addition to the story: another party involved in the sale—the couple Louis and Alice Koch, Jewish owners of the Frankfurt jewelry firm Robert Koch.
The documents confirm that the Kochs owned a 25% stake in the Welf Treasure consortium and that they received 1,155,000 Reichsmarks as part of the transaction. Critically, this amount corresponds precisely to the Reichsfluchtsteuer—a punitive tax levied by the Nazi regime on Jews attempting to emigrate from Germany—which Alice Koch was forced to pay shortly after the sale. This key detail strongly suggests that the sale took place under duress. Consequently, the proceeds were not freely available to the Kochs, making the transaction a likely case of Nazi persecution-related asset forfeiture.
This revelation has sparked fresh claims for restitution. In 2022, Alice Koch’s great-grandson, currently residing in Switzerland, approached the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation to demand restitution. His first request was unsuccessful, and his second attempt—the submission of a claim to the Advisory Commission in April 2024—also stalled.
For nine months, the SPK has been investigating whether the claimant is even entitled to file such a request. In response to an inquiry from Der Spiegel, the foundation stated: „The examination of these requirements is still ongoing.“ This delay has raised eyebrows, as the admissibility of such claims typically falls under the Commission’s purview.
Critics argue that the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation is employing stalling tactics, particularly since Germany’s cultural institutions, which are publicly funded, are strongly encouraged by the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media to voluntarily submit to the Advisory Commission’s recommendations. Efforts to streamline restitution procedures—including proposed arbitration tribunals for faster resolutions—received broad approval in recent legislation. In this context, a nine-month wait for heirs of Nazi persecution to learn if their claim is even admissible seems unnecessarily burdensome.
The impending departure of Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, adds another layer of complexity. Parzinger, who has been grappling with the Welf Treasure controversy since taking office in 2008, will leave his position in May. In an interview with RBB, he acknowledged the gravity of the newly discovered evidence: “The reference to the Reichsfluchtsteuer requires us to speak directly with the heirs and claimants.” Nevertheless, the situation appears to have progressed beyond discussions, as the Advisory Commission’s involvement has already been deemed necessary.
The final responsibility will fall to Parzinger’s successor, Marion Ackermann. According to RBB, other legal claims from descendants of former owners of the Welf Treasure are already being considered by the SPK. It remains unclear whether these claims will involve sums as substantial as those owed to the Koch couple, who were pressured by the financial demands of the Nazi regime.
Should the Advisory Commission or a future arbitration tribunal rule in favor of restitution, the compensation owed to Alice Koch’s great-grandson could reach an astronomical figure.
Despite these ongoing disputes, one aspect of the Welf Treasure’s fate is certain: it will remain in Germany. Since 2014, the collection has been classified as a national cultural asset, which prohibits its export. Furthermore, it is unlikely that a German collector would be willing—or even able—to pay the staggering value of the treasure.
Nonetheless, one aspect of the museum’s presentation should change immediately: the plaque accompanying the treasure in the display cases. Currently, it states that the sellers received “the agreed purchase price at their own disposal.” While the Nazis did not directly seize the treasure itself, they effectively stripped away the proceeds of its sale through measures like the Reichsfluchtsteuer. This crucial context must be acknowledged, regardless of how the reopened case is ultimately resolved.
Wreath of rose buds and leaves, composed of the most superb brilliants. Princess Charlotte of Wales’s Royal Wedding in 1816 | Wedding Jewels Royal Jewels History
The wedding dress of Princess Charlotte of Wales was worn at her wedding to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld on 2 May 1816 at Carlton House in London.
Charlotte was the only child of George, Prince of Wales and Caroline of Brunswick; Leopold was the youngest son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf.
Princess Charlotte of Wales | Royal Wedding 1816 | Wedding Jewels Royal Jewels History
update Cumberland Diamond Brooch from the year 2006
Viktoria Luise Adelheid Mathilde Charlotte von Preußen, Prinzessin von Preußen, Herzogin zu Braunschweig-Lüneburg, Prinzessin von Hannover, Prinzessin von Großbritannien und Irland
Cumberland Diamond Brooch | Princess Victoria Luise of Prussia Duchess of Brunswick Hannover | Wedding Gift worn by the Duchess after the birth of Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover, the jewel is left to Princes Georg Wilhelm of Hanover. His wife Princess Sophie wore it in the year 1964 at Athens. The brooch was made in 1910, the sketch of the brooch is from the Köchert Archive.
This brooch was not the wedding gift of the King and Queen of England – probably, it was the pendant which she wore, on this picture on a chain – a diamond brooch with tassel!
Übersicht Hannover-Juwelen | Hanover Jewels and Tiaras
Die Juwelen und der private Schmuck der Herzogin | Princess Victoria-Luise`s Private Trove
Das Hochzeitsgeschenk ihrer Mutter der Kaiserin | Royal Wedding Gift from her mother the Queen of Germany
Diamant-Diadem von Victoria – Luise Herzogin von Braunschweig | Victoria – Luises Diamond Diadem
Das Köchert-Collier-Diadem | Imperial wedding gift, the Koechert-Tiara-Necklace
A magnificent crown of large diamonds
Princess Aglaë Margarete Tatiana Mary of Baden, the niece of Margrave Max of Baden married in the summer of 2019, in Amorbach, Mr Wolf of Trotha.
The bride wore a Fleur de Lys diadem and the bridal gown of her mother, the Austrian Princess Marianne von Auersperg-Breunner, from 1967, when she married Prince Ludwig of Baden, the Margrave’s brother. The 200-year-old bridal veil also comes from Auersperg-Breunner’s estate.
The diadem is a surprise from the treassures of the Baden family, because it is probably the wedding present of the Emperor Franz-Joseph of Austria, from 1900, when the then Princess Marie – Luise of Hanover, Prince Max of Baden (Prince Maximilian Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm of Baden * 10 July 1867 † 6 November 1929, 1918 was the last Chancellor of the German Empire and the last heir to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Baden), married.
From the press at that time is to be read:
Gmunden Austria, July 1900. The wedding gifts, received from Princess Marie Luise, were displayed in a small salon of Cumberland Castle on long, white-covered tables for inspection.
„Emperor Franz Joseph had sent a magnificent crown of large diamonds“ …. nothing was known, about it, for a long time.
Princess Marie-Luise, although often wore two large Fleur de Lys brooches studded with large diamonds, on her dress, as can be seen above in the picture, but the matching crown, was never seen in public.
Now a descendant of her, has solved the mystery, the tiara in the form of a diamond crown of five Fleur de Lys lilies, is still in the family, and property of the house Baden and will hopefully be seen more often now as tiara.
The court jeweler of Emperor Franz Joseph was most A.E Köchert , in this time, but also court jeweler Biedermann.
For me it looks like for another A.E. Köchert diamond tiara.
Royal Jewel History :
Die spannende Geschichte der Juwelen des Hauses Baden
Charlotte Casiraghi und Dimitri Rassam haben noch einmal „Ja“ gesagt, aber diesmal vor Gott, am Samstag den 29. Juni 2019 in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
Nach einer ersten zivilen Trauung in Monaco heirateten Charlotte Casiraghi und Dimitri Rassam religiös am Samstag in Saint-Rémy de Provence, wie die beiden vom Fürstenpalast veröffentlichten Fotos des Paares belegen.
Die 32-jährige Charlotte und der 37-jährige Filmproduzent haben in der Abtei Sainte-Marie de Pierredon geheiratet.
An der Zeremonie nahmen ihr Onkel, Prinz Albert II. von Monaco, Charlotte Casiraghis Mutter, Prinzessin Caroline, ihre Brüder Andrea und Pierre und ihre Frauen, ihre Halbschwester Alexandra von Hannover sowie die Mutter der Schauspielerin Dimitri Rassam Carole Bouquet,teil.
Die Wahl von Saint-Rémy de Provence war für Charlotte eine Selbstverständlichkeit. Nach dem Unfalltod ihres Vaters Stefano, als sie erst vier Jahre alt war, lebten sie und ihre Brüder in dieser Stadt. Um der Zeremonie einen blumigen Touch zu verleihen, wurden den handverlesenen Gästen die traditionellen gebundenen Lavendelsträuße angeboten.
Die Enkelin der Schauspielerin Grace Kelly, Charlotte Casiraghi, hat zwei Kinder, Raphaël Elmaleh, geboren 2013, Sohn von Gad Elmaleh und Balthazar Rassam, geboren 2018.
Mehr zu dem historischen Schmuck:
Moore history of that jewelry: