Re: Empress Eugenie's Feuilles de Groseillier brooch auctioned Archived Message
Posted by Arthur on October 9, 2014, 8:15 am, in reply to "Re: Empress Eugenie's Feuilles de Groseillier brooch auctioned"
According to the information released by Christie's, the brooch had been presented in 1936 to the opera singer Lucrezia Bori, for her farewell gala, by Mrs. Vincent Astor, on behalf of colleagues of New-York's Metropolitan Opera Board and a large group of friends and admirers, for her outstanding contribution to the Metropolitan Opera. At her death in 1960, Lucrezia Bori bequeathed the brooch to the Metropolitan Opera. Does anyone know why the Metropolitan Opera is disposing of this brooch now? Is it in financial difficulties? --Previous Message-- : Wow! I always feel a shiver in my spine when I : see one of these historical jewels : resurface! : : I really hope that the Louvre Museum will : try (and succeed in) to buy this brooch!!! : : : : The 'parure de groseillier' (currant leaf : parure) of the French Crown Jewels was made : in 1855 by Bapst for Empress Eugénie, wife : of Napoleon III. According to the : description made in Bernard Morel's book : Les Joyaux de la Couronne de France , the : parure included: : : - a 'garland', which could be used as a : necklace, made of 16 brooches in the shape : of currant leaves. Each brooch was : detachable and could be worn on its own. The : nine frontal brooches and the clasp brooch : had 16 "pampilles" (lines of : diamond collets) dangling from them. The : brooch which is to be sold at Christie's in : November is one of these brooches : : - a 'tour de corsage' (corsage girdle) made : of 29 diamond currant leaves, alternating : with large diamond collets, around a central : group of three currant leaves centred on a : 16.95 carat diamond. This diamond had : formally been mounted on Napoleon I’s swords : in 1803 and 1812 and on Charles X’s hat’s : cockade in 1824. Large pear-shaped diamonds : were hooked to each currant leaf and to each : diamond collet. In the whole, this girdle : included more than 5000 diamonds! : : - a large devant-de-corsage brooch, made at : the top of three currant leaves centred : around a large 20.03 carat diamond which had : been previously mounted on Empress : Marie-Louise’s diamond hair comb and on the : frontal arch of King Charles X’s crown. : Hanging from this top group are an extra : currant leaf and seven groups of diamonds : forming currant grapes. : : The parure did not include a tiara, a : bracelet or a pair of earrings. But of : course, Empress Eugénie owned a lot of other : diamond jewels that she could combine with : the currant leaf parure. : : When the Government of the Third Republic : decided to sell the Crown Jewels at auction : in 1887, it was decided to divide the : garland and the girdle into several pieces : (the republican authorities probably : considered that these jewels were so large : and extraordinary that it would be almost : impossible to sell them in two single lots). : The garland was divided into 8 lots, several : of them being bought by Bapst, Garrard or : Tiffany. The corsage girdle was divided into : several lots, but all of them were bought by : Tiffany, who also bought the large : devant-de-corsage brooch. : : Here is a picture of this parure, exhibited : in 1884, along with other diamond jewels (on : the second picture, I have identified in red : the elements of the currant leaf parure): : : : : : Here are pictures of the parure prior to the : auction in 1887: : : - the garland, divided into several brooches : (I think that the brooch which is to be : auctioned in November is the one on the top : right of the picture): : : : : - the corsage girdle, also divided into : several sections: : : : : - the devant-de-corsage: : : : : Several brooches from the garland were seen : in exhibitions or in auctions in the recent : years: : : - auction at Sotheby’s, on 29th June 2004: : : http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2004/jewels-antique-period-and-contemporary-l04053/lot.78.html : : : : - exhibition in Brussels, Belgium : "Brilliant Europe, Jewels of the : European courts" (October 2007-February : 2008). The brooch was reported in the : catalogue as being part of a private : collection: : : : : - exhibition in Antwerp, Belgium, : "Diamond Divas" (April-June 2008): : the brooch which is to be sold at auction : next November was exhibited. It was loaned : by New-York’s Metropolitan Opera Guild: : : : : - auction at Doyle’s, New York, in 2011: : : http://www.doylenewyork.com/asp/fullcatalogue.asp?salelot=11JL02+++308+&refno=++804095 : : : : : I think that this same brooch was diplayed : in October 2013 in London at the exhibition : "A Brilliant Legacy: Treasures from : the Tiffany Archives": : : http://www.jewelsdujour.com/2013/10/two-exhibitions-at-tiffany-co-s-london-boutique/ : Apparently, it has been bought back by : Tiffany’s. : : : : : : --Previous Message-- : : : http://artdaily.com/news/73455/Empress-Eugenie-s-Feuilles-de-Groseillier-brooch-to-be-offered-at-Christie-s-Geneva : : :
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