Tomorrow marks the 160th Anniversary of the Death of Queen Anna Pavlovna of The Netherlands, who passed away in 1865, 160 years ago! The Russian Grand Duchess brought many magnificent Royal Heirlooms when she married the future Dutch King, but few remain in the Dutch Royal Vault, like her Amethyst Parure!
Dutch Antique Pearl Tiara | Amethyst Parure | Pearl and Diamond Stomacher
When Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of The Netherlands married the future King William II of the Netherlands in 1816, an Amethyst Parure was recorded in her trousseau consisting of:
A Buckle with one large amethyst.
The bandage on a neck with 8 amethysts.
Pair of bracelets with 12 amethysts.
Pair of earrings with 4 amethysts
When a fire broke out at the Royal Palace of Brussels in 1820, Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna’s maid managed to rescue some of her jewellery by throwing it wrapped in a rag, out of the window. The original Amethyst Parure was partially destroyed, and sent to Russia to be restored by Court Jeweller Duval.
What emerged was this Parure composed of a striking Siberian Amethyst and Diamond Necklace, backed with pearls, along with a pair of Amethyst and Diamond Earrings, an Amethyst and Diamond Corsage Brooch with a Pendant, a square Amethyst and Diamond Brooch and a Ring.
In 1850, Queen Anna Pavlovna’s Mistress of the Robes, Baroness van Nagel, got married, and during the ceremony, the Queen took off the Amethyst Parure, and presented it to the Baroness as a wedding gift.
Queen Anna Pavlovna’s Amethyst Parure remains an heirloom of the Family of Baroness van Nagell, having been worn by generations of her descendants, including one who was painted in the Parure in the 1930s.
In 2016, the Amethyst Parure was loaned by the Van Nagell Family as it went on display at the ‘Anna Pavlovna, Colourful Queen’ exhibition in the Het Loo Palace Museum in Apeldoorn, on the 200th Anniversary of her Wedding to the future King William II of the Netherlands.
Dutch Antique Pearl Tiara | Amethyst Parure | Pearl and Diamond Stomacher
