Today marks the 199th Anniversary of the Birth of Empress Eugénie of France, who as born on this day in 1826! The illustrious Spanish Aristocrat who married Emperor Napoleon III and became the ill-fated last Empress of the French, today we are featuring Empress Eugénie’s  magnificent Diamond Bow Brooch!

Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara | Empress Eugenie’s Emeralds | Diamond Bow Brooch | Andean Emerald Cross | French Crown Pearl Brooch

A magnificent Diamond Bow Brooches with two large diamond tassels and five diamond fringes, all set with 2438 diamonds and 196 roses.

Bow with two loops and folded sides; completed with two braids of unequal lengths (composed of 7 and 9 elements respectively), finished with tassels of passementerie with articulated fringes; 5 falls of bezels in tassels (central tassels with 7 brilliants, lateral tassels with 6 brilliants). In total, 2438 diamonds and 196 roses.

This bow originally formed the center of a belt initially composed of more than 4000 stones belonging to the Diamonds of the Crown, in order to be exhibited, among other sets, at the Universal Exhibition of 1855, then to be worn by the Empress Eugénie. No drawing or photographic document of this belt has been found, even if testimonies attest that Eugénie wore it at least twice.

Empress Eugénie wore the Diamond Bow Brooch was part of the Belt for the Ball at the Palace of Versailles for the visit of Queen Victoria, in 1855, and then the Reception given at the Hôtel de Ville for the baptism of the Prince Imperial in 1856, before it was redesigned and only the Bow Brooch with the tassels remained.

When the French Crown Jewels were auctioned in 1887, Empress Eugénie’s Diamond Bow Brooch was sold to the jeweller Emile Schlessinger on behalf of Caroline Astor in New York.

Around 1902, Empress Eugénie’s Diamond Bow Brooch was purchased by the Duke of Westminster for the marriage of his daughter Lady Lettice Grosvenor to William Lygon, the 7th Earl Beauchamp.

The Countess Beauchamp was also pictured wearing the Diamond Bow Brooch for the State Opening of Parliament in 1922.

By the 1930s, Empress Eugénie’s Diamond Bow Brooch was passed along to her daughter-in-law, Else, the 8th Countess Beauchamp, who paired it with the Beauchamp Pearl and Diamond Tiara for a Gala Performance at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in 1939.

Countess Beauchamp also wore Empress Eugénie’s Diamond Bow Brooch for a striking portrait, and as the last Countess Beauchamp, she sold off the Diamond Bow Brooch to the jeweller Ralph Esmerian in New York around 1980.

After being exhibited in Munich, Stockholm, and Rome and appearing at Auction at Sotheby’s in 2001 and Christie’s in 2008, Empress Eugénie’s Diamond Bow Brooch was privately acquired by the Musée du Louvre thanks to the bequest made to the Société des Amis du Louvre.

Among the great missions of the Louvre is the development of the museum’s collections, with a particular focus on works of art and precious objects belonging to members of the former French Royal family. The crown jewels are important among the nation’s treasures and we are thrilled to see the brooch of Empress Eugenie returning to France.

Empress Eugénie’s Diamond Bow Brooch is currently among the French Crown Jewels on display in the Galerie d’Apollon of the Musée du Louvre.

Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara | Empress Eugenie’s Emeralds | Diamond Bow Brooch | Andean Emerald Cross | French Crown Pearl Brooch

Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara