jewel history – Page 50

Jewel History: Coronation Tiaras Shown (1911)

04.03.2014 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Queen Mary in her coronation regalia, 1911 [1]

“Coronation Tiaras Shown”

(originally appeared in the Washington Post, 3 Apr 1911)

Lady Decies [6]

An exhibition of the wonderful collection of tiaras to be worn by members of the royal family and peeresses at the coronation was opened today.

The object of the exhibition is to benefit the Prince Francis of Teck Memorial Fund [2], for the endowment of Middlesex Hospital. The value of the tiaras is roughly estimated at $1,000,000, but historical and sentimental associations make them priceless.

The Duchess of Westminster’s crown, with five immense diamonds, was considered by many visitors as the queen of the show [3]. The value of Lady Newborough’s crown of diamonds [4], topped with emerald spikes, is assessed at $90,000.

Lady Decies [5], the most recent American bride, is represented by a crown of diamonds, the wedding gift of her father, George Gould.

NOTES, PHOTO CREDITS, AND LINKS
1. Detail of Sir William Llewellyn’s coronation portrait of Queen Mary; full version here.
2. Prince Francis of Teck was Queen Mary’s brother. He died of pneumonia at Balmoral in October 1910, and his will is the one that set the precedent for the sealing of all royal wills to follow. He’s perhaps best known to jewel lovers because he bequeathed the Cambridge emeralds to his mistress, Lady Kilmorey, Mary bought them back and had them mounted in her jewels for the Delhi Durbar.
3. In 1911, the Duchess of Westminster was Constance Cornwallis-West (1876-1970), the first wife of the second duke.
4. Grace Wynn, Lady Newborough was the Kentucky-born wife of the 4th Baron Newborough.
5. The newest American buccaneer at court in April 1911 was Helen Vivien Beresford, Lady Decies; she had married the 5th Baron Decies on February 7.
6. Cropped version of an image in the public domain; source here.

Jewel History: Authenticity of the Tiara (1903)

03.26.2014 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Detail of the Tiara of Saitapharnes [1]

“Authenticity of the Tiara”

(originally appeared in the Washington Post, 26 Mar 1903)

The present argument on the subject of the authenticity of the “Tiara Saitapharnes” [2] of the Louvre collection of antiquities is a renewal of the discussion which has been going on at intervals during the last seven years with more or less virulence. The tiara occupies a small window in a case in the Salle des Bijoux, being one of hundreds of ornaments shown. Owing to the doubts long existing, the ordinary guide books say that the authenticity of the tiara is disputed.

The recent charges have emphasized these doubts, which promised to cast discredit on the entire collection, and the fine arts minister accordingly ordered an investigation for the purpose of protecting the good name of the Louvre. This has brought on a fierce controversy among the scientists concerning the tiara’s authenticity, which some of the leading newspapers treat as being more amusing than serious.

This evening M. Heron de Villefosse, the curator of the Louvre, published a letter denying having had dealings with Hochmam, a Vienna dealer, who was alleged to have sold the tiara to the Louvre. Theodore Reinach, who furnished the funds to buy the tiara, has also written a letter declaring that the doubts recently expressed are only reiterations of former aspersions, which do not affect his belief in the genuineness of the tiara.

Le Figaro ridicules the controversy, pointing out that whether it is real or false the tiara is of trifling historical value. The result of the investigation is being awaited with interest, owing to the charges of the disputants that the fabrication of “antiquities” is being conducted systematically.

Note: The Louvre was indeed duped — the “ancient” headdress was a fake! It was made in 1894 by Israel Rouchomovsky, a goldsmith from Odessa (in present-day Ukraine), who was told by the men who had commissioned the piece that the headdress was intended to be a gift for an archaeologist. The tiara still in storage in the Louvre today, but it is taken out and exhibited occasionally as a part of retrospectives on Rouchomovsky’s work. Rouchomovsky was an incredibly talented artist in his own right, and he’s the one who revealed to the Louvre that the work was not authentic after he learned that the men who had commissioned it had passed it off as a a genuine ancient piece to the museum.

NOTES, PHOTO CREDITS, AND LINKS

1. Cropped version of an image available via Wikimedia Commons; source here.

2. Saitapharnes was king of Scythia around the third century BCE. Scholars know about him largely because he is mentioned in the famous decree of Protogenes. The decree states that the people of Olbia had to pacify Saitapharnes with elaborate gifts; this “artifact” was thought to be concrete, material proof of the veracity of this ancient narrative. (It wasn’t.)

Jewel History: Belgrade’s Royal Wedding (1922)

03.20.2014 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Maria of Romania, ca. 1922 [1]

“Belgrade’s Royal Wedding”

(originally appeared in the New York Times on 21 Mar 1922)

The wedding of King Alexander of Yugoslavia and Princess Marie of Romania will take place in the middle of July, according to information obtained today. The wedding was originally set for May, but May is popularly regarded in Serbia as an unlucky month; so the King, although he is not superstitious, was obliged to defer to the general idea.

The event was then fixed for June 4, but the Patriarch pointed out that this was a period of fasting for the Church. July then was finally agreed upon by the King and the family of the Princess [2].

The Yugoslavs are immensely pleased with the match, which is considered a step in the direction of peace in the Balkans. Work is being rushed on the new Royal Palace in Belgrade so as to have it in readiness to accommodate such of the European monarchs and other notables as attend the ceremony.

The royal couple will probably spend their honeymoon on the Dalmatian coast.

Note: the couple ended up actually getting married in June after all; the ceremony was held in Belgrade on June 8, 1922. The bride is pictured below with her bridesmaids:

Queen Maria of Yugoslavia on her wedding day in 1922 [3]

NOTES, PHOTO CREDITS, AND LINKS
1. Cropped version of a photograph available via Wikimedia Commons; source here.
2. Princess Maria, known as “Mignon,” was the daughter of King Ferdinand I of Romania and Princess Marie of Edinburgh (who was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria).
3. Cropped version of a photograph available via Wikimedia Commons; source here.