Re: The Diamond Knot brooch of The Duchess of Newcastle Archived Message
Posted by John R  on September 29, 2012, 6:50 pm, in reply to "The Diamond Knot brooch of The Duchess of Newcastle"
Massive, is the word that comes to my mind! All the jewels have an impressive size but the aigrette is enormous. How did she balance that thing? Must have been nailed onto her 
Thanks for posting.
--Previous Message--
: In Point de Vue No 3348 is a very interesting
: article ( Quelle Histoire ) from Vincent
: Meylan about a phantastic and stunning
: Diamond Knot brooch which re-appeared
: recently after being disappeared for more
: than half a century.
:
:
:
:
: http://images.npg.org.uk/800_800/3/0/mw126430.jpg
:
: Kathleen Florence May (née Candy), Duchess
: of Newcastle as Princes Darkhov
: (at a costume ball in London, 1894)
: by Arthur Albert ('Esmé') Collings,
: photogravure by Walker & Boutall
:
:
:
:
: http://images.npg.org.uk/800_800/1/1/mw140111.jpg
:
: Kathleen Florence May (née Candy), Duchess
: of Newcastle by Bassano
: (in her robes for the Coronation of King
: George VII and Queen Elizabeth, 1937)
:
: both pictures linked from National Portrait
: Gallery's website www.npg.org.uk
:
: The brooch is worn on the corsage and is
: more than tweny centimeters in diameter and
: made of all diamonds.
:
: Vincent Meylans article says, that French
: Empress Eugénie ordered in 1863 two huge
: knot brooches from the jeweller Babst for
: fixing her court coat on her shoulders.
: These jewels were sold in 1887 along with
: all French Crown Jewels.
:
: Two years after this auction, a young woman,
: aged 17, Florence Candy, married the Duke of
: Newcastle. One thinks, that she got one of
: these amazing Diamond Knots as a wedding
: present. The brooch turned out to become the
: favourite jewel of the young Duchess. The
: Diamond Knot brooch was seen for the last
: time in public in 1937 when HG wore it for
: the coronation of King George VII and Queen
: Elizabeth (see second portrait above).
:
: When The Duchess of Newcastle passed away in
: 1955 without issue, the wonderful diamond
: brooch disappeared. The Duchess' belongings
: were spread within her remote relatives.
: Since this type of jewels was not very
: fashionable in the late 50s of the last
: century, the jewel most likely was sold
: unremarked.
:
: It unexpectedly re-appeared after more than
: half a century at the Biennale des
: antiquaires in Paris on the stall of Martin
: du Daffoy. It was also Mr du Daffoy who
: detected this amazing brooch a few days
: before the opening of the Biennale .
:
: So far the article in PdV, what a phantastic
: story!
:
: But also the other jewels The Duchess wears
: on the 'coronation' portrait are amazing.
: Just to mention the two huge anchor brooches
: (which look somehow familiar to me...), the
: emerald and diamond necklace and this
: spectacular aigrette. A huge emerald and
: diamond stomacher, put on a bandeau of
: diamonds and I particularly like the
: swirled-circles necklace... .
:
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