I was doing some royal jewel research and came across an entry for a "Catalogue of Valuable Jewellery, Fine Furs, Parasols, Fans, Etc. the Property of the Lady Wavertree,... Comprising a Suite in Diamonds, Said to Have Belonged to the Empress Josephine..." The auction took place mid-August 1933 and there were 107 pieces of jewellery auctioned by Sotheby's.
Further research revealed an article from the Queensland Times 18 Aug 1933.
"Lady Wavertree's notable collection of jewels blazed to some purpose at Sotheby's...When the moment approached for the sale of the set piece a suite in diamonds--tiara, brooch and necklet, composed of 40 circular clusters, the atmosphere, says the "Daily Express", became tense. This set is traditionally supposed to have belonged to the Empress Josephine, and is so magnificent that the crowds gasped in admiration when it was produced on its bed of red velvet. Bids tumbled over one another. Quickly they climbed from £100 until, after a fierce battle, it fell to Captain John Christie, a well-known private collector of jewels, for £910. . . . One after another the 107 pieces of Lady Wavertree's collection fell under the auctioneer's hammer, until a specimen black pearl ring was shown. This was the centre of a little drama between Lord Howard of Glossop and one of the biggest dealers In London. Both wanted the pearl badly. Both knew that it is only on rare occasions specimen black pearls are ever on the market. The price shot up, but Lord Howard finally outbid the dealer by paying £250 for it."
Does anyone have access to the catalogue which most likely has a picture of the suite?
Lady Wavertree, C.B.E., Dame of St. John was the former Sophie Florence Lothrop (née Sheridan), Lady Wavertree (later Fisher) (died 1952), Matron of Sussex Lodge Hospital; former wife of 1st Baron Wavertree of Delamere, who presented the National Stud to Great Britain and wife of Francis M. B. Fisher (a former New Zealand Cabinet Minister); daughter of Algernon Thomas Brinsley Sheridan, She was the great-great-grand daughter of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, famous playwright and orator, and the grand-daughter of John Lothrop Motley, a former United States Ambassador to England, and author of "The Dutch Republic."
on October 6, 2014, 7:06 pm