Yesterday, Sotheby's auctioned what they called "one of the most important royal jewelry collections ever to come to auction," a collection of jewels belonging to the Bourbon Parma family. The sale offered the tantalizing prospect of owning jewels that belonged to Marie Antoinette - some of which hadn't been seen in public in 200 years. Add in jewels that come from the rest of the family's long and rich royal roots, including Habsburg heritage, and you have a sale chock full of history.
When King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette prepared to flee Paris in 1791, the Queen packed her diamonds, rubies, and pearls into a wooden chest and sent them to the care of her family in Vienna. The King and Queen were captured and later executed in 1793. Their only surviving child, Marie-Thérèse (known as Madame Royale) was released a few years later and made it to Austria. There she was able to collect her mother's jewels from her cousin, the Austrian Emperor.
The Marie Antoinette jewels at this auction went from Marie-Thérèse to her niece and adoptive daughter, Louise Marie Thérèse of Artois, Duchess of Parma. The gems then traveled down Louise's tree of descendants to her son, Robert I, Duke of Parma, and then his son, Elias, and his wife Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria.
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| Sotheby's |
The highlight of the auction was this "exceptional and highly important natural pearl and diamond pendant", a natural drop-shaped pearl. As set when owned by Marie Antoinette, it was the pendant on a three row pearl necklace.
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| Sotheby's |
The pearl pendant had a pre-sale estimate of $992,810 - $1,975,692. It sold for $36,165,090. Yes, that's right. THIRTY-SIX MILLION DOLLARS. Technically $32 million plus fees. (You could say there was a
bit of hype around this auction.) Sotheby's says that's a record price paid for a pearl at auction. The buyer has so far wished to remain anonymous.
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| Sotheby's |
This triple strand of pearls was used to hold the pearl pendant above originally; the pearls have been restrung since then and the necklace is now shorter. The necklace brought in the second highest price at the auction: $2,278,499.
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| Sotheby's |
Third highest price at the auction went to another piece with Marie Antoinette history, a double ribbon bow design set with cushion-shaped and circular-cut diamonds dating from the second half of the 18th century. It has a supporting a detachable pear-shaped diamond pendant of yellow tint, probably dating from the early 19th century. Price: $2,099,793.
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| Sotheby's |
The highest price for a tiara at the sale went to this very symbolic diadem. The diamond tiara is attributed to Hübner in 1912 and includes fleur de lys motifs millegrain-set with multiple cuts of diamonds. The three largest motifs are detachable and can be worn as brooches. The diamonds were originally set in a plaque of the order of the Saint-Esprit of Charles X, King of France. Price: $967,990.
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| Sotheby's |
This "superb diamond demi-parure" went for $848,853. The diamonds come from Charles Ferdinand d’Artois, Duke of Berry, Charles X’s son; Marie-Thérèse of France, Madame Royale, Marie Antoinette’s daughter; and Princess Isabelle of Croÿ, Archduchess Frederich of Austria.
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| Sotheby's |
The demi-parure consists of a diamond rivière composed of a graduated row of cushion-shaped diamond collets, with detachable pear-shaped pendants; a brooch set with cushion-shaped diamonds, with three detachable pear-shaped diamond pendants; and a pair of earrings, each set with a cushion-shaped diamond. The brooch can also be worn as a clasp for the diamond rivière.
That's just a
few of the highlights from the auction. One of the most important royal jewelry collections ever to come to auction sounds about right to me.
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