Imperiales Smaragd-Diamant-Halsband aus dem Großherzoglichen Hause Baden.

Der kaiserliche Hofjuwelier Nitot & Fils aus Paris hat diesen Schmuck um 1806 in Gold und Silber gefertigt. Wie schon anderen grossen Schmuck der Bonapartefamilie, der als eindrucksvolle Botschaft für die französiche Handwerkskunst gelten sollte und von Napoleon in Auftrag gegeben wurde, seinen Macht mit Glanz und Kunst an den europäischen Höfen darzustellen.

Sieben, große Smaragdtropfen in Briolettes geschliffen sind, hängen als Blickfang an dem eigentlichen, klassischen Collier aus sieben, treppenförmig geschliffenen Smaragden, die jeweils mit einem Kranz aus Diamanten eingefasst sind (Karmoisierung).
Einzelne, kleine Smaragde und Diamanten verknüpfen auf einer Länge von 41 cm die großen Smaragdelemente zu einer beweglichen Girlande - ein idealtypisches Collier für diese Zeit. Der Halsschmuck hat eine Weite von 20 cm, bei einer Tiefe 6 cm. Der Verschluss liegt unter einem Smaragd verborgen.
Ergänzt wird das Collier durch ein Paar Ohrgehänge, deren runde Oberteile mit zwei von Diamanten karmoisierten Smaragden besetzt sind, an die offene, tropfenförmige Diamantanhänger montiert wurden, die jeweils einen großen, frei schwingenden Smaragd-Briolett enthalten.

Um 1820 wird eine Änderung des Colliers vermerkt, bei der wahrscheinlich die beiden hinteren, ursprünglichen Brioletten abgenommen und durch ’normale’, facettierte Smaragd-Tropfen ausgetauscht wurden. Die abgenommenen Brioletten könnten als Geschenk oder Vermächtnis weitergegeben worden sein.

Dieser herrliche Empire-Schmuck gehörte ursprünglich Großherzogin Stéphanie von Baden, die als Stéphanie Louise Adrienne de Beauharnais am 28. August 1789 in Versailles als Tochter des Hauptmanns de Beauharnais geboren wurde.

Ihre Mutter verstarb bereits 1791 und ihr Vater zeigte kein weiteres Interesse an dem zweijährigen Mädchen.
Die kleine Stéphanie verbrachte daher ihre Kindheit und Jugend bei unterschiedlichen Personen und Orten. 1803 wurde Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) auf sie aufmerksam, als er erfuhr, dass es in Südfrankreich eine – wenn auch entfernte – Verwandte seiner Frau Joséphine gab. Er befahl sie zunächst nach Paris, ließ sie hier standesgemäß ausbilden und band sie in seine Pläne zur Bildung eines Bonaparte-Clan ein.
Seine Heiratspolitik brachte sie schließlich an den badischen Hof, nachdem er sie adoptiert hatte, nunmehr als eine "Bonaparte" und kaiserliche Prinzessin.

Diese Smaragde waren aber nur eines der Geschenke von Napoléon an seine Adoptivtochter Erbprinzessin Stéphanie von Baden anlässlich ihrer Hochzeit.
Die Smaragd-Parure bestand insgesamt aus einem Diadem, einem Collier, einem Paar Ohrringen und wahrscheinlich noch aus zwei Armbändern, die auch auf dem Gemälde von Gérard (um 1810) zu sehen sind.
Stéphanie erhielt aber noch zwei weitere Paruren – eine mit Perlen und eine mit Diamanten.

Napoléon soll für ihre Juwelen und Schmuck allein 500.000 Francs gezahlt haben.
Weiterhin bekam sie eine Aussteuer im Wert von abermals 500.000 Francs und eine Barschaft über 1.500.000 Francs mit an den Hof von Baden.

Der Dichter Johann Peter Hebel beschreibt die 16-jährige Stéphanie Napoleon, die als Braut des Erbherzogs Karl im Juli 1806 an den Hof kam:
„...die neue Prinzessin hat gestern, als sie die Aufwartungen von uns annahm, allgemein überrascht und jedermann für sich gewonnen. Im einfachen weißen Gewand, mit einigen Blumen im Geflecht der Haare, die man spitzbübischerweise für roth ausgegeben hatte, da sie doch bräunlich sind, stand sie mit mehr jugendlicher und jungfräulicher Anmut als mit fürstlicher Würde ungezwungen, unverlegen da... Sie hat mittelmäßige Größe, gegen das kleine hinneigend, ein gesundes Aussehen, ein bedeutendes Auge und wurde von den meisten als schön gehalten... Von Temperament soll sie sehr lebhaft und fröhlich sein, eine Virtuose am Klavier...“.

Die Vermählung einer napoléonischen Prinzessin mit dem Erbprinzen von Baden war für beide Fürstenhäuser von Interesse. Sie besiegelte und festigte das französisch-badische Bündnis, sie sicherte dem badischen Fürstenhaus den Titel der Großherzöge und vergrößerte durch die immense Mitgift der Braut das Territorium Badens.
Diesen Vorteilen musste sich letztendlich auch die Mutter des Bräutigams, Markgräfin Amalie, beugen. Sie hatte ihre Töchter mit Söhnen aus den angesehensten deutschen und europäischen Fürstenhäusern verheiratet und haderte lange damit, dass ausgerechnet ihr einziger Sohn, der Thronfolger Badens, eine Französin von nicht ebenbürtigem Stand heiraten sollte.
In diesem Spannungsfeld zwischen politischen Hoffnungen und persönlichen Enttäuschungen fand am 8. April 1806 die Hochzeit zwischen Stéphanie und Carl Ludwig Friedrich (1786-1818) statt. Als Residenz für das junge Paar war Schloss Mannheim vorgesehen, wo man ihnen einen überaus herzlichen Empfang bereitete.

Wem hinterliess sie nach ihrem Tod den Smaragd Schmuck Großherzogin Stephanie von Baden

Imperial Emerald and Diamond Diadem from the Grand Ducal House of Baden, part of the trousseau of Stéphanie de Beauharnais-Napoleon (1789–1860), Altesse Impériale, Madame la Princesse, fille adoptive de S. M. l’Empereur et Roi

Napoleon’s military genius, as well as his statesmanlike talent, secured for him a spectacular career: from a simple officer, to general, First Consul, Emperor of the French, and in 1805, King of Italy. Under him, France gained a position of preeminence in Europe. He promoted the domestic economy through his own commissions—or, as here, through a dowry of the highest quality—so as to consolidate abroad the brilliance and the wealth of France.

The Margraviate of Baden profited in particular from its good relations with Napoleon; through him, Baden became a Grand Duchy in 1806.

The fate of Stéphanie Louise Adrienne de Beauharnais was determined by the political upheavals of her time. Born in the revolutionary year 1789, she had to be taken to safety as a small child during the Reign of Terror.

As a relative of Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon’s first wife, Stéphanie unexpectedly gained access to the glittering environment of the French imperial court. Napoleon included her in his dynastic alliance policy and wished to marry her to the Baden hereditary prince Karl. The Baden court, however, consented to Napoleon’s marriage proposal only after the adoption. With the elevation to a Grand Duchy, and the marriage of Hereditary Grand Duke Carl of Baden with Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Baden entered the circle of the great European ruling houses. This meant, for the small state, among other things, important representational duties. Since at first the state finances were not in good order, it was only after the end of the Napoleonic Wars that there was again room for the financing of luxury goods.

Stéphanie’s trousseau was magnificent. Even half of the 500,000 francs (without jewels and cash)—the other half had been embezzled by suppliers and ladies-in-waiting—was sufficient to allow her to shine brilliantly in the spartan Karlsruhe court.

In a foreign land, and with a grand ducal family hostile to her, Stéphanie led, for many years, an unhappy life. Napoleon intervened and wrote a strong letter to the (old) Grand Duke:
“My brother, Your Highness does not know how badly my daughter is treated; otherwise your good heart and the friendship you feel for me would have compelled you to provide remedy… Every day I regret the marriage I arranged. Your grandson is the misfortune of a princess of whom he is not worthy.”

And in a letter to Karl, he wrote:
“Had I known your character as I know it now, I would have been careful not to give to you a being dear to me as your wife. If you intend to continue to behave thus, send my daughter back to me.”

This had its effect, and the relationship improved.

She saw her main duty in the care of her three daughters; the two sons died young. Because of her wide-ranging artistic and intellectual interests, her widow’s residence in Mannheim developed into a modest, yet lively and socially sought-after court. Over time, Stéphanie became recognized as a German princess; in her heart, however, she had remained French.

To match the necklace, Nitot, on Napoleon’s commission, created for his stepdaughter, seen at right in the picture, an imposing diadem. Just as the magnificence-loving French Emperor desired for his beloved stepdaughter, she was to spread abroad, as his personal ambassadress, the imperial taste, the spirit of Napoleon, and the luxury of Paris; for this, only the best was good enough.

Emeralds cut as drops, as impressive carrés, as well as round faceted emeralds of the finest quality, together with large diamonds formed into classical patterns, make up the diadem, combined with palmettes and diamond waves. These alternate with clasps ending in large circles, each set in diamonds. It was a splendid diadem, worn low on the forehead according to the fashion of the time. This magnificent jewel must even then have caused a sensation, its value being comparable with, or surpassing, the parures of Empress Josephine, famed for her spectacular jewel collection.

A very similar, or indeed the same, diadem is today in the possession of the Queen of Norway, its provenance not entirely clarified. It is said to have come from Empress Josephine of France, through Queen Josephine of Sweden, then to Norway—shown above, foreground left. At left in the picture above, Princess Ingeborg Charlotte (2 August 1878 – 12 March 1958), married to Prince Carl (1861–1951), son of Oscar II of Sweden, with the diadem; her brother became King of Norway. Their daughter Märtha of Sweden was born on 28 March 1901 as the second of five children in Stockholm, with the full name Märtha Sofia Lovisa Dagmar Thyra Bernadotte. She was the sister of Astrid of Sweden, later Queen of the Belgians. She married her cousin Olav of Norway and brought the emerald tiara to Norway.

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Grand Duchess Stéphanie’s eldest daughter, Princess Louise Amelie Stephanie of Baden (5 June 1811 – 19 July 1854), married Prince Gustav of Sweden (9 November 1799 – 4 August 1877) on 9 November 1830, then Crown Prince, and is likely to have received jewels from her mother as dowry.

Prince Gustav, who lost his position as Crown Prince through the deposition of his father Gustav IV Adolf, was an Austrian general and used the name “Prince of Sweden.” In 1829 Emperor Francis II granted him the title Prince of Wasa; the marriage was dissolved.

Their daughter Carola was considered around 1850 one of the most beautiful royal princesses of Europe. Suitors were not lacking—Napoleon III among them, eagerly seeking her hand. Her father managed to push through an engagement with Albert of Saxony, and she became Queen of Saxony.

For her wedding, her father handed over to her all the jewels he possessed, inherited from his grandmother Sophia Magdalena of Sweden and from his mother Frederica of Sweden. The inheritance must have been so immense that it astonished even the jewel-enriched court of Dresden. Unusually, the gift consisted only of white jewels—pearls and diamonds without colored stones.

A pair of diamond earrings was sent back to Sweden as a wedding gift; Victoria of Baden received them from Carola when she married Gustav V of Sweden. They still belong to the Bernadottes.

Stéphanie was also able to marry her other daughters well: her second daughter Josephine with Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. The distribution of Grand Duchess Stéphanie’s estate is certified by a document, written in German and signed in Mannheim on 29 June 1860. This seven-page document lists the various allocations of the Grand Duchess’s assets in order to fulfill the inheritance provisions registered since 1855, as we know, she received the sapphire parure which Queen Hortense had presented to Stéphanie Beauharnais.

Alongside a ruby set, a sapphire and diamond set consisting of “a head ornament, a necklace, a pair of earrings and seven pins and a belt, now divided into different parts, which Queen Hortense gave to Stéphanie” went to her second daughter Josephine. In 1900 it passed to Princess Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; her son Leopold (1835–1905) inherited it. The set was modified and worn by his wife, Princess Antonia of Portugal (1845–1913).

The youngest daughter, Marie Amelie of Baden, became Mary, Duchess of Hamilton, wife of the 11th Duke. She inherited, according to her mother’s will, the important napoleonic emerald parure, and it is certain that it remained in the possession of the Grand Duchess until her death. In her will, dated 6 May 1855 in Mannheim, she declared: “I give to my daughter Mary, Duchess of Hamilton (…) an emerald and diamond set, consisting of a tiara, a necklace, a pair of earrings and five brooches.”

The wedding was celebrated on 23 February 1843. William Hamilton, Marquess of Douglas and 11th Duke of Hamilton (1811–1863), could not equal his wife, Her Highness, in rank. To enable this marriage, she led a provincial, though socially active, life at Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran. While she was involved in the restoration and expansion of the Hamilton family estate, the couple lived in Paris and Baden-Baden. The press of the time was not sparing in coverage of the Duchess’s social life. It is also known that this social life intensified after 1850 and the birth of her last daughter. From this union came three children: William (1845–1895), Charles (1847–1886), Earl of Selkirk, and Maria Victoria (1850–1922).
Sadly, on 15 July 1863, the 11th Duke of Hamilton died, and she spent most of her time in Baden-Baden.

On 21 September 1869, Mary Victoria Hamilton married Prince Albert I of Monaco. Only a few months after the wedding, and following a disastrous honeymoon, the princess discovered that she was pregnant and returned to her mother’s residence in Mannheim. The couple’s divorce was officially announced in 1880. She and Albert had a single son - the Louis II Prince of Monaco. In the same year, on 2 June 1880, she finally married the Hungarian Count Tasziló II Festetics de Tolna (1850–1933).

Princess Marie-Amélie of Baden died on 17 October 1888. Her last wishes were published in the press in the summer of 1889. The Leicester Daily Post and the Glasgow Herald reported the Princess’s wishes, naming her daughter Mary Victoria, Countess Festetics of Tolna,born Princess of as sole heiress of her estates, the castles in Baden, Switzerland, and England. She also inherited 250,000 marks and 250,000 francs.

This document is dated 26 April 1882. In it she wrote: “I appoint my daughter Maria, Countess Tassilo Festetics, as sole heiress of all my jewels. Diamond, emerald, turquoise and pearl sets, my bracelets, rings, medallions.” Here we learn that the Princess’s jewel collection was particularly extensive, but did not consist only of imposing pieces. This text also tells us of the existence of small brooches and other medallions, which she distributed among her relatives. The most precious pieces, however, remained in the hands of her daughter, who was then living in Hungary. In fact, Marie-Amélie instructed her daughter in her will to keep her possessions and not to sell them.

It was in the Baden-Baden castle, Stéphanie’s summer residence, that Louis Napoleon prepared his first coup attempt in 1836. Napoleon III granted her a pension of 50,000 francs, and Stéphanie once more bore, as before, the title of Imperial Highness.

Three of Stéphanie’s granddaughters became queens—of Saxony, of Portugal, and Princess of Monaco; her grandson Karl became King of Romania. She maintained close contact with Hortense Beauharnais, Joséphine’s daughter from her first marriage and later wife of Louis Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother who was installed as King of Holland, and with their son, Louis Napoleon.

Quelle: V&A London THE LATE DOWAGER DUCHESS OF HAMILTON. Varinus reminiscences of illustrious people are conjured up by the recent death of the Dowager Duchess of Hamilton, Princess Mary of Baden. The Princess, who was born on Oct. 11, 1817, was married at the age of 26 to the Duke of Hamilton, who was one of the personal friends of Louis Napoleon, and who, when the Prince President became Emperor, purchased a magnificent mans‘on in the Faubourg Saint Germain. The Duchess of Hamilton was one of the most welcome of the guests at the Tuileries, and, while shunning to a considerable extent the more gorgeous gatherings at the Imperial Court, she was an assiduous attendant at the Empress’s little teas and at the family riunions at St. Cloud. When herhusband, the Duke of Hamilton, died suddenly on coming out of the Maison Dorée on the Boulevards, in 1863, the duchess retired altogether from the brilliant life of the Court. There were various reasons why the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton were persone gratissime at the Tuileries in the dazzling days of the Imperial »/gime. The duke was, it is true, a trusty friend of Louis Napoleon’s, but his wife was the daughter of the Emperor’s favourite aunt. The Dowager Duchess ot Hamilton who has just died was, in fact, one of the children of Stiphanie Louise Adrienne, Vicomtesse de Beauharnais, who was the adopted daughter of Napoleon the First, and in April, 1806, married the Grand Duke of Baden. On the death of Queen Hortense, in 1837, it was the Grand Duchess Stéphanie who watched with maternal solicitude over young Louis Napoleon, of whose filial familiarity towards his aunt an amusing anecdote is told by the Vicomte de Beauchisne, who knew the grand duchess well. Prince Louis, his aunt, and the vicomte were playing whist one evening, when the Prince, who was losing, was preparing to leave the room without paying the grand duchess. “1 call you to witness,” said the duchess to M. de Beauchésne, “ that he is going away in my debt.” “Never mind, aunt,” returned the I’rince; * you shall get your money when I am Emperor.” At this the duchess remarked to the vicomte, * Prince Louis is always joking,” little thinking at the time that her nephew was destined to repay her with interest. It was the Grand Duchess Stiphanie who represented Queen Josephine of Sweden and Norway at the baptism of the young Prince Imperial who was killed in Zululand. Cardinal Patrizzi acted as sponsor on the part of Pope Pius the Ninth at the same christening. The Dowager Duchess of Hamilton who has just died, although not residing in the French capital, was a great benefactress to its poor. Her grandson, Prince Louis of Monaco, whos2 mother, Lady Mary Victoria Douglas Hamilton, was married to Count Festetics, of Vienna, after having been divorced from Prince Albert of Monaco, is now completing his studies in the College Stanislaus, the famous establishment of the Jesuits in Paris. He was a great favourite with his grandmother, and {requently spent his holidays with her in Daden.

Countess Margharita Tagliavia hatte diesen Halsschmuck zuletzt in ihrem Besitz und vermachte ihn dem Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Weiteres Bild der Smaragdgarnitur >>

Weiteres Bild des Smaragd Diadems >>

In english:

Grand Duchess Stephanie - Emerald Necklace - Parure >>

close-up of the Imperial necklace>>

close-up of the Empire Emerald Diamond Tiara >>

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