Napoleon Bonaparte’s diamond brooch that was seized by Prussian forces as he fled the Battle of Waterloo is headlining Sotheby’s Royal & Noble Jewels sale in Geneva on Nov. 12. This will be the first time the historic piece, estimated by Sotheby’s at $150,000 to $250,000 (converted from 120,000 to 200,000 CHF), is offered publicly.
The circular brooch, approximately 45 millimeters (just over 1¾ inches) in diameter, features a 13.04 ct. oval diamond surrounded by nearly 100 old mine– and mazarin-cut diamonds. Created around 1810, the jewel is believed to have adorned Napoleon’s iconic bicorne hat on formal occasions. When the French emperor’s carriages became mired in mud as he retreated from Waterloo, the brooch was among the treasures abandoned—and then seized by the Prussian army.
Three days after the battle, on June 21, 1815, the diamond ornament was presented to King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia as a war trophy, its journey reflecting the dramatic power shift from Napoleonic France to a rising Prussia. The brooch remained in the Hohenzollern royal collection for generations before passing into private hands.
Sotheby’s sale will feature other exceptional jewels, including a rare natural pearl and diamond hair ornament and brooch from the collection of Cunegonde of Saxony—cousin to Louis XVI—and a 13.86 ct. light pink diamond ring once belonging to Russia’s Catherine I (wife of Peter the Great) and later to Neslishah Sultan, the last Ottoman princess.
“It is a huge privilege to be able bring to auction such wondrous pieces of jewelry boasting prestigious provenance year after year in Geneva,” said Andres White Correal, Sotheby’s chairman of jewelry for Europe and the Middle East, in a statement. “Our Royal & Noble sale continues to be unparalleled in the auction world and continues to set the standard.
“The presentation, in the same sale, of items of jewelry previously owned by Emperor Napoleon I and Empress Catherine I via one of the greatest Ottoman princesses, to name only two stunning examples, demonstrates our ongoing quest to offer discerning collectors the absolute best.”
Online bidding for the Royal & Noble Jewels auction is open now.
(Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s)
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