Unfortunately, I have no information about the whereabouts of this tiara after the 1887 auction sale. I just know that it was bought at the auction by Germain Bapst, the former Crown jeweller, for 131,500 Francs (under the estimate of 150,000 Fr.).
According to the very comprehensive information published in Bernard Morel's book Les Joyaux de la Couronne de France, the "Greek Tiara" of the French Crown jewels was made by Crown jeweller Bapst for Empress Eugenie in 1867, but it resulted from the successive dismantling and remounting of previous tiaras.
In 1853, a first tiara was delivered for the newly-married Empress Eugénie by the jeweller Viette. It included 2,118 diamonds for 522 carats.
This tiara was soon dismantled, and in 1855, Viette was commissioned by Empress Eugénie to create a new tiara, which should include the big 140-carat "Regent" diamond, which had been unmounted from the Emperor's crown. The design of the tiara was made by Devin, a former worker of Bapst jewellery house, who was by then keeper of the Crown jewels, in charge of the upkeeping and cleaning of the Crown jewels. The creation of the tiara was entrusted by Viette to the famous Oscar Massin. Morel reports that Massin found the design of the tiara strange, but respected it. The imposing tiara depicted intertwined flame motifs, centred around the "Regent". Empress Eugénie wore the tiara for the opening of the World Exhibition in 1855, but did not like it. She was reported to find it overwhelming, and to have said, because of the flame motifs, that the tiara was "fit for the Devil"!
This tiara was unmounted as soon as 1856, and a new tiara was created by Alfred and Frédéric Bapst, on a Greek meander design, again with the "Regent" diamond in the centre:
This first "Greek" tiara was remodelled in 1864, with the "Regent" diamond removed from the centre of the diadem, and placed on the top of it. The bill for the tiara mentioned "Making of a grand diadem, on Greek design, divided in pieces joined by hinges, topped by the Regent, made of 797 diamonds for 485 4/32 carats, 5,500 Francs". It is in this shape that we can see the tiara worn by Empress Eugénie on the painting depicting the arrival of the ambassadors of the King of Siam (Thailand) at Fontainebleau castle in 1864:
In June 1867, the tiara was unmounted again, and mounted in lesser proportions, while the "Regent" diamond was removed. The new tiara was made from an elegant Greek frieze ornated with 326 brilliants for 315 carats and 286 smaller brilliants for 5 carats. The biggest brilliants of the former tiara were used to create two strange jewels, the "forefront band" (27 diamonds, 103.78 carats) and the "head band" (41 diamonds, 127.50 carats).
The Greek tiara, in the 1867 version:
The head band (top) and the forefront band (bottom):
on April 26, 2016, 6:12 pm, in reply to "
