Posted by Jos on March 23, 2013, 9:15 am, in reply to "Fiction"
What a coincidence! I was in the Palace of the Academies in Brussels yesterday, which used to be the palace of later King Willem II and Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna. It was somewhat exciting to see the high terrace via which the thieves entered Anna's apartment. These are now receptions rooms of the Académie Royale de Langue et de Littérature Francaises de Belgiques. Anna's boudoir where the jewels were kept is now an office of the Académie. Unfortunately, the officer working there had taken the day off so I could not see the room, alas.
René Brus' book indeed has a good account of the theft and the retrieval of many of the precious stones, which were taken out of their settings. The thief, Polari, ended up in a jail in The Hague.
It really is a pity Brus' book was never translated into English. An update of the book would also be desirable.
--Previous Message-- : This is a wonderful case of incorrect mixing : of information with fiction as a result. : : The jewels Wilhelmina wore were the House : Diamonds, which were not part of the stolen : jewels of Anna Paulowna. The tiara didn't : exist before 1897. : : The depicted tiara didn't exist before 1881. : The brooch on the right seems a mix up of : the brooch Emma received as a gift from the : Dutch people for her wedding in 1879 and a : brooch king William III gave her (the one : with the large diamond with the king's : portrait engraved in it) : : The case of the stolen jewels is very well : documented in Rene Brus, Juwelen van het : Huis Oranje-Nassau; I haven't seen English : literature on this. : : : : : : --Previous Message-- : Source: Library of Congress collection. : : This is from the "The Appeal" (St. : Paul, MN) newspaper dated February 4, 1899. : : : : : CAPTION: : : CROWN JEWELS BURIED IN BROOKLYN. : : WILHELMINA'S TREASURES WERE ONCE CONCEALED : IN AN AMERICAN CEMETERY AND DUG UP AFTER : MANY YEARS. : : The crown jewels worn by the girl queen of : Holland at her coronation were once buried : in a Brooklyn cemetery. : : One year before the outbreak of the Belgian : revolution these jewels were stolen from the : court in Brussels, where William I held : forth. It was said that the thief or thieves : were intimate friends of one of the trusted : court servants; that one day while cleaning : the aparmtents the servant was made to drink : drugged wine and that the strong box : containing the jewels was broken open while : he was unconscious and the jewels taken out : of the country. : : On July 28, 1831, a Frenchman by the name of : Jean Romage appeared in the Dutch embassy at : Washington and asked to see the ambassador, : Baron Huygene. This man declared that he : knew the man who had taken the crown jewels : and that he would be willing to reveal his : whereabout if he would receive an assurance : that the $25,000 reward offered by King : William I would be forthcoming at once. : : Baron Huygene gladly gave a written : assurance, and then Romage accused an : Italian by the name of Polart as the thief. : Romage confessed that he had became : acquainted with Polart's sweetheart and that : the latter had betrayed to him the story of : the theft. He had quarreled with her, and, : to be avenged on him, she told of his crime : and the place of concealment is a Brooklyn : cemetery. When search was made they were : found there and returned to Holland, but : Polart had been warned before he could be : arrested and was never apprehened. : : End of quote. : : :
on March 23, 2013, 9:15 am, in reply to "