Two Tiaras With Possible Link To Empress Joséphine Of France Could Fetch $690,000 At Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s will offer two tiaras that are said to have belonged to Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814), wife of Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) and Empress of France. While there is no definitive proof that these jewels were owned by Joséphine, Sotheby’s jewelry specialists and the auction house itself have the confidence to say that these jewels in their style, craftsmanship and known history are likely to have been owned by the Empress of France or someone of her status. They are, “by tradition, thought to have once belonged to Joséphine,” is the language the auction house used in its statement announcing the sale.

The tiaras are believed to have been made in Paris, circa 1808, and are in the neo-classical design favored by the two rulers of France. They are each part of a parure (a set of jewels designed to be worn together), set with ancient portrait cameos and gemstones engraved with classical heads. Sotheby’s is of the opinion that several of these gems are possibly ancient and are believed to “endow the wearer with their various depicted qualities such as heroism, faithfulness and love.”

They are coming to auction from a private collection in the U.K. where they have been held for at least 150 years, Sotheby’s said. Both parures are still contained in their original Parisian leather boxes. They will be offered in separate lots with a combined estimate of £300,000 – £500,000 ($410,000 – $690,000) as part of Sotheby’s London Treasures sale on December 7.

At a minimum, this is a sale that will likely be a topic of conversation among jewelry specialists, historians and collectors for some time.

According to Sotheby’s, these jewels “reflect the very best of 19th century French craftsmanship at the time.”

“These majestic jewels mounted with cameos and intaglios certainly evoke the style of the grand Empress Joséphine – her rank as wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, her impeccable taste and her interest in the classical world,” Kristian Spofforth, head of Sotheby’s Jewels department in London, said in a statement. “Empress Joséphine was much more than just a collector of antiquities. By being the first to incorporate these cameos and intaglios into her dress, wearing them side by side with pearls and diamonds, she created an entire new fashion that swept Paris and the world, based on neo-classical forms. The jewels offered here demonstrate the finest delicate work by the finest French workshops, and, today, there are hardly any comparable pieces in the world. When fashions changed, jewelry was broken up and re-modelled, making their survival a truly exceptional one.”

A Sotheby’s representative explained that there are few records of exactly what Joséphine held in her collection because she constantly bought, altered and exchanged pieces. While the inventories of Joséphine’s jewels list numerous examples of her cameo and intaglio jewelry, there are few details of the contents.

Their connection to Joséphine has been passed down by family tradition. In addition, in quality and style, they match what is known about Joséphine and her style and if not owned by her, they were owned by “someone of her status,” the Sotheby’s representative wrote in an email.

“The style reflected in the jewels were typical of the Royal couple’s taste and image following the French Revolution. Napoléon, to legitimize his new government, resurrected historical and cultural references to ancient Rome, “even choosing to stud his coronation crown with a large number of ancient portrait cameos,” Sotheby’s said in a statement. “Joséphine understood the value of her public image, using her clothes and jewels to evoke the ideals of the ancient world, and linking it with the current Empire to enhance the prestige of her husband’s regime.”

A similar parure is held in the collection of the Swedish Royal family, inherited through Joséphine’s son, Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg. His daughter, Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, brought numerous jewels into the Swedish Royal family when she married the future King Oscar I in 1823, Sotheby’s said.

The parures will be exhibited November 2 – 9 at Mandarin Oriental, Geneva, alongside highlights from Sotheby’s sales of Magnificent Jewels.