Origin of Name
The Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara was designed and
executed in 1913 by E. Wolff & Co. for the royal jewelers Garrards, who
were commissioned by Queen Mary, the Queen consort of King George V, to
create a tiara based on the design of one owned by her maternal
grandmother Princess Augusta of Hesse, the Duchess of Cambridge, wife of
Prince Adolphus, the Duke of Cambridge, who was the seventh son of King
George III. The Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara gets its name from the
original Lovers Knot Tiara owned by Princess Augusta of Hesse, the
Duchess of Cambridge, which was given to her by her family at the time
of her marriage to Prince Adolphus in 1818. The original Lovers Knot
Tiara was subsequently given as a gift by Princess Augusta to her eldest daughter
Augusta Caroline at the time of her marriage to Grand Duke Friedrich
Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Lovers Knot bows were part of the design
of the tiara, which was repeated along the entire length of the tiara,
and from which originated two drop-shaped pearls, one hanging down and
the other rising up like a spike. Thus the name Lovers Knot is derived
from the repeated theme of this Gothic revival tiara.
Characteristics of
the Tiara
The Cambridge Lovers
Knot Tiara originated in the mid-Georgian period and shows features of
Gothic Revival style
The Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara of 1913, is based on
the design of the original Lovers Knot Tiara of 1818, which undoubtedly
has Gothic Revival features. The Georgian era in the history of jewelry
extends from the period of rule of King George I, beginning in
1714 to the end of the period of rule of King George IV in 1830. This
period can be divided into three sub-periods, early-Georgian,
mid-Georgian and late-Georgian, each with its own style of jewelry. The
early-Georgian period from 1714 to around 1790s was characterized by
Rococo styles, the mid-Georgina from around 1790s to 1820s by the Gothic
Revival and the Late-Georgian 1820s to 1830s by the Neo-Classical
styles. However there had been considerable overlapping of styles from
one period to another. The mid-Georgian and Napoleonic era in France
coincide with one another, and while in England the style adopted was
Gothic Revival, in France it was Neo-Classical. The Cambridge Lovers
Knot Tiara, which originated in 1818 in England, thus shows features of
Gothic Revival jewelry.
The 1913 version of the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara with the spikes removed.
The Romantic movement in the early 19th century
inspired artists of the period to look to the past for purity of
artistic expression. This led to the revival of Gothic style of the
Medieval period in literature, architecture and the decorative arts. In
the area of jewelry crafting, jewelry craftsmen had just a few examples
of Medieval jewelry from which they could draw inspiration. Thus the
jewelry craftsmen turned to Gothic architecture for inspiration. Pointed
arches, trefoils and gargoyles copied from Gothic cathedrals provided
motifs for jewelry. Features of Gothic jewelry included quatrefoils,
trefoils, vesica piscis, pinnacles, scrolls etc.
Gothic Revival
features in the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara
The circlet of the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara
is made up of a lower semi-circular band, set with a row of round
brilliant-cut diamonds. Nineteen inverted arches arise from the lower
band, also set with round brilliant cut diamonds. Where two adjacent
arches meet a pillar-like structure is formed that rises up and ends in
a large round brilliant-cut diamond, forming a diamond spike. There are
nineteen diamond spikes of this nature, and the size of these diamonds
decrease gradually from the center towards both ends. A combination of
lovers knots and scroll motifs is placed at the upper end of each
inverted arch. The center of each lovers knot is occupied by a large
round brilliant-cut diamond, from which arises two large drop-shaped
pearls, one suspended in the space inside the inverted arch, and the
other rising above the surface of the tiara as a spike. There are
nineteen arches and nineteen drop-shaped pearls inside the arches, and
nineteen drop-shaped pearls rising as spikes, making a total of 38
drop-shaped pearls. The largest drop-shaped pearl is exactly in the
central arch of the tiara, with nine drop-shaped pearls gradually
decreasing in size occupying the nine arches on either side. The pearl
spikes that rise up above the surface of the tiara also follow a similar
trend in size and arrangement. Thus the Lovers Knot Tiara is perfectly
symmetrical about its median line. The tiara is essentially made of
repeated units of the same motif, consisting of the inverted arch, with
the lovers knot and the scrolls and the two pearls, the pendant and the
spike situated inside the arch.
The predominant neo-Gothic or Gothic-revival features
in the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara are the 19 arches and the
incorporation of 19 pearl spikes and 19 diamond spikes rising above the
surface of the tiara. The shape of the drop-shaped emeralds, somewhat
resembling the Vesica Piscis, a symbol of Christian art in the Medieval
period, may also be considered as a Gothic-revival feature in the tiara.
History of the
Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiaras
History of the
original Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara
The tiara is given
as a gift to Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel in 1818
The original Lovers Knot Tiara designed in the
mid-Georgian period in 1818, was given as a gift to Princess Augusta of
Hesse-Cassel by her parents, Prince Frederick of Hesse and Princess
Caroline of Nassau at the time of her marriage to Prince Adolphus, the
Ist Duke of Cambridge, the 10th born child and the seventh son of King
George III. of the United Kingdom and Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Stretlitz.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had three children; the eldest being a
son Prince George, and the other two daughter, Princess Augusta and
Princess Mary Adelaide. In 1838, the Duchess of Cambridge wore the original
Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara for the coronation of Queen Victoria in
Westminster Abbey.
Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel wearing the Cambridge
Lovers Knot Tiara
The tiara is given
as a gift to Princess Augusta of Cambridge in 1843
When Princess Augusta, the eldest daughter of
the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, married Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, the
Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Stretlitz in 1843, the Duchess of Cambridge,
gave the original Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara as a gift to her daughter. Grand
Duke Friedrich Wilhelm and Grand Duchess Augusta, had only one
surviving son, Adolf Friedrich, who succeeded his father as Grand Duke
in May 1904. Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich who married Princess Elizabeth
of Anhalt in 1877, had four children by this marriage, two daughters and
two sons.
Princess Augusta of Cambridge wearing the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara.
The tiara is given
as a gift to Duchess Jutta in 1899 ?
Their second daughter Duchess Jutta, married Danilo,
the Crown Prince of Montenegro, and it appears that the Grand Duchess
Augusta, who lived up to the ripe old age of 94 years until 1916, gave
the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara to her granddaughter Jutta at the time
of her marriage in 1899. After world war I, when Montenegro was
incorporated into the new kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, the
royal family of Montenegro established a government in exile. Duchess
Jutta's father-in-law King Nicholas I died in 1921, and her husband
Danilo Aleksandar (Daniel Alexander), succeeded as the titular King of
Montenegro. However, he only held the position for a week before
abdicating in favor of his nephew Michael. Jutta and her husband Danilo
lived in exile in France, where Danilo died in 1939. Jutta then moved to
Rome, where her brother-in-law King Victor Emmanuel III reigned, and
died in 1946, at the age of 66 years.
Duchess Jutta of Montenegro
The original
Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara appears at a Christie's auction in Geneva in
1981
The fate of the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara after it
came into the possession of Duchess Jutta is not known. The tiara was
probably sold in Paris to an anonymous collector while the Duchess was
living in exile with her husband in France. The whereabouts of the tiara
was unknown until in May 1981, it appeared at a Christie's auction in
Geneva, where it was sold to another anonymous buyer for 280,000 Swiss
Francs. The present whereabouts of the original Cambridge Lovers Knot
Tiara is unknown.
History of the
Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara of 1913
King George V
ascends the British Throne and Princess Mary becomes the Queen Consort
Princess Mary Adelaide, the second daughter of Prince
Adolphus and Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel, the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge, married Francis, the Duke of Teck in 1866, and this marriage
produced four children, a daughter who was the eldest followed by three
sons. The daughter who was born in 1867, was Princess Victoria Mary of
Teck, who married Prince George, the Duke of York, and second in line to
the British Throne in 1893, a marriage that received the blessings of
Queen Victoria, who was her godmother. In 1901, when Queen Victoria died
she was succeeded by the Prince of Wales and heir to the British Throne,
Prince Albert Edward, who ascended the throne as King Edward VII. Prince
George now became the new Prince of Wales and the heir to the British
Throne. With the death of King Edward VII in May 1910, Prince George
ascended the throne as George V, and Princess Victoria Mary of Teck,
became the Queen Consort of the United Kingdom.
The Cambridge and
Delhi Dunbar Parure is created for the coronation of Queen Mary
The famous Cambridge and Delhi Dunbar Parure was
created by the artisans of Garrard & Co. the Crown Jewelers, using
the family emeralds that once belonged to her mother Princess Mary Adelaide
and diamonds, some of which came from the original Cullinan diamond
weighing 3,106 carats, that was presented to King Edward VII, by the
Transvaal Government. The parure was created in anticipation of the
coronation of King George V and Queen Mary, that took place on June 22,
1911, and for their subsequent proclamation as the Emperor and Empress
of India, at a Durbar that was to be held on December 12, 1911.
Queen Mary
commissions the new Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara in 1913
In 1913, Queen Mary commissioned the Crown Jewelers
Messrs. Garrard & Co. to construct a tiara based on the design of the
Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara, that was once owned by her maternal
grandmother Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel, the Duchess of Cambridge,
and subsequently owned by her aunt, Princess Augusta of Cambridge, the
Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. This new lovers knot tiara, also
came to be known as the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara, because of the
resemblance of its design to the original Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara,
and consisted of 19 arches, and 38 drop-shaped pearls, 19 hanging as
pendants and 19 rising up as spikes. The 19 pearls that rose up as
spikes could also be dismantled. Queen Mary wore the new Cambridge
Lovers Knot Tiara, both with and without the pearl spikes, removing and
adding the upright pearls, as and when she deemed it fit.
Queen Mary wearing the 1913 version of the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara, with the pearl spikes intact.
Queen Mary
enriches the royal collection by purchasing notable pieces of jewelry
Queen Mary was a notable collector of objects of art,
jewels and jewelry, that enriched the royal collection, and took pride
in superbly bejeweling herself for formal occasions. She is reported to
have paid above market estimates when acquiring jewels with a historic
and royal provenance. In 1921, she purchased a diamond and pearl tiara,
known as the "Vladimir Tiara" that once belonged to Grand Duchess Maria
Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, which was smuggled out of Russia
together with other jewels, by a British diplomat, during the October
1917 Bolshevik revolution. Other purchases include the jewels from the
estate of Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia (the widow of Czar
Alexander III and mother of Czar Nicholas II of Russia) who escaped from
Russia in 1919, aboard the British ship HMS Marlborough, and settled in
London for sometime as the guest of her sister Queen Alexandra and her
nephew King George V.
Queen Mary wearing the 1913 version of the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara, with the pearl spikes removed and 4 of these pearls are used as pendants on the 4-strandard pearl necklace.
Modern history of
the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara
Queen Mary died in 1953 at the age of 85 years, just
one year after the death of her son, King George V. In her will, she
left the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara to her granddaughter Queen
Elizabeth II, and thus the renowned tiara entered the personal jewel
collection of Queen Elizabeth II. The tiara became a favorite piece of
Queen Elizabeth II, who wore it for many formal occasions. Queen
Elizabeth II later gave the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara as a wedding
gift to Princess Diana, at the time she married Prince Charles, the
Price of Wales. It was then that the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara reached
the height of its popularity, as the piece came to be associated with
the image of the popular princess. However, after her divorce from the
Prince of Wales the tiara was returned to Her Majesty the Queen.
Queen Elizabeth II wearing the 1913 version of the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara.
Princess Diana wearing the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara.
Other lovers knot
tiaras known to have existed in history
Apart from the two versions of the Cambridge Lovers
Knot Tiaras considered in detail on this webpage, other lovers knot
tiaras belonging to royal families in Europe and India are also known to
have existed. Most of these tiaras were of 19th century origin, as the
lovers knot design was popular during this period. Among some of the
well known lovers knot tiaras are the following :-
1) The Yussupov
Lovers Knot Tiara
The Yussupov Lovers Knot Tiara that belonged to Princess Tatiana
Alexandrovna Yussupova (1828-1875), wife of Prince Nikolai Borisovich
Yussupov (1827-1891) of the prominent Yussupov aristocratic family of
Russia, was one of the most perfectly designed Lovers Knot Tiaras, with
19 arches, and pearl drops hanging as pendants from lovers knot bows
inside the arches, and an equal number of pearl drops rising up as
spikes. The striking feature of this tiara is its perfect symmetry, with
pearl drops similar in size and shape being placed at symmetrical
positions on either side of the median line of the tiara, that holds the
largest pearl drops. The pearl drops also gradually decrease in size
from the center towards both ends of the tiara. A portrait of the
princess painted by Winterhalter in 1858 show her wearing the Yussupov
Lovers Knot Tiara.
Princess Tatiana Alexandrovna Yussupova wearing the Yussupov Lovers Knot Tiara
2) The Bavarian
Lovers Knot Tiara
The Bavarian Lovers Knot Tiara that was worn by Queen
Therese of Bavaria (1792-1854), the queen consort of Ludwig I of Bavaria
(1786-1868) who ruled between 1825 and 1848. This tiara had 16 arches,
with 16 pairs of drop-shaped pearls arising from lovers knot bows, as
pendants from below the knots and spikes from above the knots.
Queen Therese of Bavaria, wearing the Bavarian Lovers Knot Tiara
3) The Saxony Lovers
Knot Tiara
The Saxony Lovers Knot Tiara, that was worn by
Princess Maria Immaculata of Saxony and Bourbon-Two Sicilies
(1874-1947). Princess Maria Immaculata was the eldest daughter of
Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and married Prince Johann Georg
of Saxony (1869-1938). However, pictures of the Princess wearing the
tiara, show only 19 pendant pearls, and the pearl spikes are missing.
This is similar to Queen Mary's Lovers Knot Tiara after the removal of
the spikes.
Princess Maria Immaculata of Saxony, wearing the Saxony Lovers Knot Tiara.
4) The Patiala Lovers
Knot Tiara
The Patiala Lovers Knot Tiara, worn by Maharani
Mahindar Kaur of Patiala, the second wife of Maharajah Yadavindra Singh
of Patiala (1913-1974), the last of the Maharajahs of Patiala, at the
time the state joined the Indian republic in 1948. Maharajah Yadavindra
Singh, succeeded his father Bhupinder Singh, as Maharajah of Patiala in
1938. A sports enthusiast, he was the president of the British Indian
Olympic Committee from 1938-47, and after Indian independence, president
of the Indian Olympic Committee from 1947-1960. He was also the chief
organizer of the first Asian Games held in New Delhi in 1951. He served
as the Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes from 1943 to 1944. After
independence he served as the Chief Indian delegate to the UN General
Assembly from 1956 to 1957, and as the delegate to the UNESCO in 1958.
He also served as Indian ambassador to Italy from 1965-66 and
Netherlands from 1971-74, when he died suddenly in office at the Hague,
on June 17, 1974, of heart failure at the age of 61 years. The Patiala
Royal Family became internationally renowned for the 5-stranded Patiala
Diamond Necklace incorporating the De Beers Diamond, one of the most
expensive necklaces ever made, that was designed and executed by Cartier
of Paris in 1928.
Maharani Mahindar Kaur of Patiala, wearing the Patiala Lovers Knot Tiara
Maharajah Yadavindra Singh of Patiala
You are welcome to discuss this post/related topics with Dr Shihaan and other experts from around the world in our FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
Related :-
1)
Cambridge and Delhi Dunbar Parure
2)
Queen Victoria's Emerald and Diamond Tiara
3)
Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara
References :-
1) The Personal Jewelry Collection of Elizabeth II -
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2) Jewelry making through History - Rayner W.
Hesse
3) Mary of Teck - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
4) Gothic Revival - PJM Article Archives, June 1998
5) Georgian Jewelry 101 - Antique Jewelry Investor,
www.antique-jewelry-investor.com
6) Gothic - From the Antique Jewelry University
