| This jewel was formerly
one of the French Crown Jewels, designed by the Parisian firm of Bapst
for the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoléon III, during the
Second Empire. In May of 1887, after the Fall of the Second Empire, the
French Ministry of Finance ordered the Crown Jewels to be sold at auction.
The elegant jewel was described as a ‘Pendant Hair Ornament’
set with 477 brilliant diamonds weighing 66.85 metric carats. It is illustrated
in the engravings of the catalogue of the Crown Jewels sale in 1887 as
no.8. According to the present owner, this jewel has been in his family
collection since the early 1900s.
The jewel comprises
a brooch designed as a cluster of three pavé-set leaves, highlighted
by four larger brilliants surrounding the centre leaf. Suspended from
the brooch are cascading strands of articulated links echoing the leaf
motif, each of the three strands terminating in graduated fringes, or
pampilles, of brilliant diamonds. The style of the brooch reflects the
popular taste for jewels in the naturalistic style, which lasted throughout
the 19th century. Artists and jewellers inspired by the Romantic movement
spoke in a ‘language of flowers’ through the use of plant
and floral motifs, which often conveyed a secret message of love or
affection. We might assume that the leaves in the pendant hair ornament
were intended by Maison Bapst to be currant leaves with surrounding
clusters of currant berries; the currants relaying the message ‘you
please all’. The pendant hair ornament is displayed adjacent to
Bapst’s currant leaf parure in both the 1884 exhibition of the
French Crown Jewel images, as well as the engravings in the 1887 sale
catalogue.
The Empress Eugenie,
for whom the jewel was designed, was the epitome of style and elegance.
An avid lover of jewellery and fashion, she was able to wear haute joaillerie
to its greatest advantage by reviving the style for huge dresses, which
certainly acted as backdrops for certain pieces. The diamond pendant
hair ornament should be of great interest to both jewellery historians
and collectors throughout the world. Jewels of Royal provenance, and
particularly those from the sale of the French Crown Jewels in 1887,
seldom appear on the market.
More of the Diamants De La Couronne | Imperatrice France
Empress Eugenie's Personal Jewels
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