Origin of Name
The word "parure" was first applied in the 17th
century to refer to a set of three or more matching pieces of jewelry,
but later its definition was widened to include an entire wardrobe or
suite of matching jewelry. Parures reached the height of its popularity
in the Neoclassical period (late Georgian period in Britain) from around 1760 to 1830, particularly during
the Napoleonic era that extended from around 1800 to 1814. Napoleon
Bonaparte restored Paris to its former glory as an international fashion center after the
tumultuous years of the revolution, and extended his patronage to the
jewelry craftsmen of Paris. Some of the renowned jewelry craftsmen whose
services Napoleon Bonaparte engaged, to design jewelry for his court,
noted for its brilliance and grandeur, were Martin Biennais, Marie
Etienne Nitot and Francois Regnault Nitot. Napoleon's court jewelers
designed expensive parures for his court made of diamonds, emeralds,
rubies, pearls and sapphires or a combination of two or more of these
gemstones. Napoleon lavished such expensive parures on the ladies of his
court, such as his first empress consort, Empress Josephine and later
his second wife and empress consort, Empress Marie-Louise.
Queen Marie-Amelie Sapphire Diamond and Pearl Parure
was designed and executed for Queen Marie-Amelie, after her husband
Louis Philippe ascended the throne of France as the King of the French,
following the July revolution of 1830 that overthrew King Charles X. The
parure was a combination of sapphires, diamonds and pearls, and hence
referred to as Queen Marie-Amelie's Sapphire Diamond and Pearl
Parure. The parure which is now the property of the French Louvre Museum
is considered as part of the French Crown Jewels and exhibited in the
Apollo Gallery of the museum.
Constituent pieces of
jewelry in the Queen Marie-Amelie Sapphire Diamond and Pearl Parure
The pieces of jewelry that constitute the Queen
Marie-Amelie Sapphire Diamond and Pearl Parure are :-
1) Sapphire Diamond and Pearl Tiara
2) Shoulder Brooches
3) Belt Buckle
4) Brooch
5) A Pair of Earrings
The five pieces of the parure are still displayed in
their original case, which clearly depicts the name of the designer
Bapst.
1) Sapphire Diamond
and Pearl Tiara
The sapphire, diamond and pearl tiara originated at
the end of the Neoclassical period (late Georgian in Britain), but has
Gothic revival features The main Gothic feature in the tiara are the
sapphire pinnacles or spikes that arise from the upper surface of the
tiara. There are seven sapphire spikes, of which the median one is the
largest. The size of the other sapphire spikes decrease gradually from
the center outwards. Each sapphire spike is composed of a central
oval-shaped faceted blue sapphire, most probably of Sri Lankan origin,
surrounded by rose-cut diamonds. The largest sapphire in the median
spike is surrounded by 14 diamonds, of which the largest diamonds are at
the top, gradually decreasing in size towards the base. The other
oval-shaped faceted sapphires on the other spikes are also surrounded by
14 diamonds each.
Queen Marie Amelie Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl Tiara
The scrolls on the upper surface of the tiara is also
another gothic feature. There are six scrolls, arranged in such a way
that oppositely coiled ends lie just below the base of each sapphire
and diamond spike. The scrolls are also set with diamonds. There are
approximately 25 diamonds in each scroll, making a total of 150 diamonds
on the scrolls. A second set of smaller spikes are situated at the base
of each scroll, between the larger spikes. There are six such smaller
spikes, whose center is occupied by a smaller round-shaped faceted
sapphire, surrounded by 10 diamonds. At the base of each of these
smaller spikes are two perfectly spherical pearls, thus giving a total
of 12 spherical pearls for the six spikes. In the gaps between the upper
scrolls and the lower semicircular band, a single large spherical pearl
is situated. There are seven such gaps occupied by seven spherical
pearls.
The lower semicircular band of the tiara, is two-layered, out of
which the upper layer is occupied by a single row of 71 rose-cut
diamonds, and the lower layer by over 35 large spherical shaped pearls.
Thus there are over 54 spherical pearls, 13 blue sapphires and
approximately 379 diamonds in the tiara. The breakdown of the 379
diamonds are as follows :- 98 diamonds on the larger spikes, 60 diamonds
on the smaller spikes, 150 diamonds on the scrolls and 71 diamonds on
lower semicircular band. The predominant gemstones on this tiara are no
doubt the blue sapphires because of their larger sizes. This is followed
by the diamonds, whose dominance is due to their numbers in spite of
their smaller sizes. The 54 spherical pearls, which are larger than the
diamonds, are the least dominant of the three, but nevertheless a
significant contributor to the beauty of the tiara. Thus the name
"Sapphire Diamond and Pearl Tiara" in that order signifies the
predominance of each of the three types of gemstones on the tiara.
2) Shoulder Brooches
The two shoulder brooches in the parure are perfectly
matched in terms of size, shape and design. The metal work, the settings
and the type of gemstones used are exactly identical. One is exactly a
"carbon-copy" of the other. The features in the two brooches are so
identical, that only experts in the field would be able to identify one
from the other.
Designs and motifs used are characteristic of jewelry
of the Neoclassical or Late Georgian period, during which the parure
originated. The two scroll works and the two rosette-like mosaics are
the most prominent of these Neoclassical motifs. Overall the design is a
combination of leaf work, scroll work and rosette-like mosaics. The two
brooches being perfectly identical a detailed description of just one of
them would suffice, in our consideration of this historic parure.
At the top of the brooch is a rosette-like mosaic of
blue sapphire, diamonds and pearls. The center of the rosette is
occupied by a round faceted blue sapphire, which is surrounded by an
immediate whorl of diamonds followed by a whorl of white spherical
pearls. The pearls in the outer whorl are larger than the diamonds of
the inner whorl. There are 10 diamonds in the inner whorl and 13 pearls
in the outer whorl.
Just below the upper rosette are two large rose-cut
diamonds, from which arise two identical leaf-like motifs on either
side, set with smaller rose-cut diamonds. Just below the two leaf-like
motifs are the main scroll and leaf work designs of the brooch, also set
with diamonds and only two pearls. The right and left scroll works
follow an anticlockwise and clockwise orientation respectively.
The center of each scroll work is set with four large rose-cut diamonds.
Somewhere in the middle of each scroll is a single white spherical
pearl. The centerpiece of the brooch which lies between the two
oppositely oriented scrolls is occupied by a large cushion-cut blue
sapphire. A single large rosette pendant arises from below the
cushion-cut blue sapphire. The upper end of the rosette pendant is
occupied by three spherical pearls arranged as a triangle. The rosette
itself is made up of a central oval-shaped faceted blue sapphire,
surrounded immediately by a whorl of 16 rose-cut diamonds, followed by a
whorl of 12 spherical white pearls. The pearls are larger than the
diamonds.
Queen Marie Amelie Belt Buckle and Shoulder Brooches
3) The Belt Buckle
The centerpiece of the belt buckle is a large
octagonal-shaped cabochon blue sapphire, which is surrounded by a single
row of white rose-cut diamonds. The size of the central octagonal
cabochon blue sapphire, is almost equivalent to the size of the largest
oval-shaped faceted blue sapphire in the central sapphire spike of the
Sapphire Diamond and Pearl Tiara. Thus the blue sapphire in the belt
buckle is one of the largest blue sapphires in the entire parure.
4) The Brooch
The design of the brooch is in all respects similar
to the design of the shoulder brooches, except for the upper rosette,
which has been replaced by a different floral motif. The length of the
brooch is also slightly shorter than the length of the shoulder
brooches. This is because the stem of the lower pendant is shorter in
the brooch than in the shoulder brooches. Another significant difference
is that the rosette of the lower pendant in the brooch is surrounded by
only a single layer of white spherical pearls. The inner layer of
diamonds found in the shoulder brooches is missing. The leaf work and
scroll work in both brooches are exactly identical.
Queen Marie Amelie Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl Parure
5) A Pair of Earrings
The pair of earrings in the Marie Amelie Sapphire
Diamond and Pearl Parure, are pendant earrings, based on a design
similar to the shoulder brooches and the single brooch, with scroll and
leaf work and rosettes. The lower pendant part of the earring hangs from
the upper stud part made up of a rosette with a central oval-shaped
faceted blue sapphire surrounded by a layer of diamonds. The lower
pendant part has the same scroll and leaf work design found in the
shoulder brooches and the single brooch. The pendant rosette has a
single large oval-shaped blue sapphire surrounded by a single layer of
diamonds, and the stem has three spherical white pearls arranged as a
triangle, as in the shoulder brooch.
History of the Queen
Marie Amelie Sapphire Diamond and Pearl Parure
Circumstances that
led to Marie Amelie becoming the Queen of the French
The French revolution of 1789-93, was the beginning
of a period of uncertainty and instability in France that lasted
until 1870-71, when France declared its 3rd republic after the defeat of
Napoleon III in the Franco-German war. The 1st republic that was
declared immediately after the revolution and the abolishing of the
monarchy, ended after Napoleon I took power as the absolute dictator of
France and crowned himself as the Emperor of France in 1804. With the
defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, the Allies restored the Bourbon
monarchy, and installed Louis XVIII, a brother of the executed Louis
XVI, as the new monarch of France. The country and its people were now
deeply split into three major factions, the republicans, the monarchists
and the bonapartists. The period of instability in France was a power
struggle between these three factions, the monarchists and bonapartists
regaining control for short periods of time, until the republicans
finally prevailed and were able to consolidate the gains of the
revolution.
After the restoration of the monarchy by outside forces in
1814, two of Louis XVI's brothers, Louis XVIII and Charles X ruled
France from 1814 to 1824 and 1824 to 1830 respectively. In 1830,
following the abdication of Charles X in favor of his 10-year old
grandson, Henri, during the July revolution, Louis Philippe was
appointed as regent to the young king. Louis Philippe was entrusted by
Charles X to convey his desire to the elected Chamber of Deputies, to
have his grandson succeed him. But, Louise Philippe betrayed Charles X,
and did not convey his wishes to the Chamber of deputies, probably to
increase his own chances of succession. The deputies were already aware
of Louis Philippe's liberal policies and his popularity with the masses,
and the fact that he originated not from the senior branch of the House
of Bourbon, but the cadet branch that would succeed to the French
throne, should the senior branch die out. Thus the deputies deliberately
chose Louise Philippe as the successor, disregarding the claims of the
senior branch to continue the succession, and Louise Philippe was
proclaimed as the new King of France. Louis Philippe ascended the throne
of France in August 1830, and assumed the title "King of the French" and
his Queen Consort Marie Amalie became the "Queen of the French."
Louise Philippe, the
"Citizen King" or the "Bourgeois monarch"
Louise Philippe fully aware of the change in attitude
of the common man towards the monarchy, after the French revolution,
adopted a simple and austere life style, devoid of the pomp and
pageantry of the court of his bourbon predecessors and their lavish
pending styles. During the initial years of his rule he became very
popular, and was much loved by the French citizens, who referred to him
as the "citizen king' or "bourgeois monarch." His popularity surged
further when he requested that Napoleon's remains be returned to France.
The Queen Amalie
Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl Parure was probably part of the queen's
personal jewelry collection ?
It is said that during his period of rule, in keeping
with his austere policies Queen Amalie did not make use of the crown
jewels of France, reassembled by Napoleon I, after the French
revolution, and further enhanced by Louis XVIII and Charles X. Queen
Amalie only wore her personal jewelry during the 18-year period she
served as the Queen of the French. In this context, the Queen Amalie
Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl Parure, the subject of this webpage, was most probably part of the
personal collection of jewelry that belonged to the queen, that was
designed and executed by Bapst, the court jeweler, using jewels
purchased by Louis Philippe from the jewelry markets of Paris. The parure was
probably inherited later by Queen Amalie's descendants, with whom it
remained, until it was acquired by the Louvre Museum of France. This
probably explains why the parure still remains in tact as it was
produced over 160 years ago, for if the parure was part of the crown
jewels of France, it would have undoubtedly undergone modification or
reset in a different setting, when the jewels passed through the hands
of the next queen consort of France, Empress Eugenie de Montijo, wife of
Napoleon III, a great connoisseur and collector of jewels, who was known
to have reset most of the crown jewels of France to suite her own tastes
and the fashions of the time.
Louvre Museum of France
Louis Philippe's
abdication in 1848 and exile to England
Louis Philippe's popularity declined towards the
later years of his rule, and his government was perceived as
increasingly conservative and monarchial. During his rule the condition
of the working classes deteriorated, and the gap between the rich and
the poor further widened. The economy of the country was mismanaged and
the country was heading for an economic crisis. Moreover Louis
Bonaparte, the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte who was living in exile in
England, was spearheading a campaign for the restoration of Bonapartism
in France, and was advancing his cause as a possible successor. The
people of France still cherished the days of prosperity and greatness
the country achieved, under the mighty dictator, and were not averse to
Louis Bonaparte's propaganda. With the country plunging into an economic
crisis in 1847, the people of France again revolted against their king
in February 1848, known as the February 1848 Revolution. King Louis
Philippe abdicated in favor of his nine-year old grandson Philippe on
February 24, 1848 and fled the country with his wife and children to
England, where he took up residence in Claremont, Surrey, and died in
exile on August 26, 1850. On February 26, 1848, France proclaimed the
second republic, and on December 10 the same year, Louis Bonaparte was
elected the President of the second republic, by a landslide victory
polling 5.5 million votes, as against 2 million votes for all other
candidates combined.
Louis Philippe- King of the French
Marie Amelie - A
short biography
Marie Amelie who was born on April 26, 1782, in
Caserta, Italy, was the daughter of the King of Naples, Ferdinand
IV and his wife Maria Carolina, who was the sister to Marie
Antoinette, the queen consort of King Louis XVI. She was engaged as a
child to marry her cousin, Marie Antoinette's son, the future King of
France, a marriage which never materialized as her young fiancé died in
1789 of consumption. During the turbulent times in Italy in the early
19th century, she was forced to leave her home at the age of 18, and
take refuge in various royal houses, when she first met her future
husband Louis Philippe, who had also fled from France in the aftermath
of the French revolution. Three years after she first met Louis
Philippe in Italy, the two were married in 1809, and she became the
Duchess d'Orleans. The couple, who already had four children, returned
to France after Napoleon Bonaparte's downfall in 1814, where they set up
home.
Queen Marie Amelie- Queen of the French
Louis Philippe who had reconciled the Orleans family,
the lesser branch of the House of Bourbon, with the elder branch of the
House of Bourbon, represented by Louis XVIII, while in exile, was given
the Palais Royale, the former home of his father, the previous Duc
d'orleans, after Louis XVIII was installed as King by the Allies, after
the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. Marie Amelie had six more children
after she settled down with her husband in France, making ten children
in all, out of whom eight survived into adulthood. She had already
delivered her 10 children, by the time she became the Queen of the
French in 1830, when her husband Louis Philippe, ascended the throne of
France, as the King of the French, in the immediate aftermath of the
July Revolution. She kept a low profile as the Queen of the French, and
did not play an active role in politics, nor try to exert undue
influence on her husband the King. Thus she managed to be above the
suspicion of the French people. This was in sharp contrast to the
behavior of her aunt Marie Antoinette, who paid the supreme price for
exerting undue influence over her husband King Louis XVI. After her
husband's abdication during the 1848 revolution, she escaped with her
husband and her family to England, where she took up residence in
Claremont, Surrey. Her husband Louis Philippe died two years later in
1850. Queen Marie Amelie continued to live in England, and died 16 years
later on March 24, 1866.
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Related :-
1)
Emerald and Diamond Parure of Marie Louise
2)
Marie-Therese, Duchess d'Angouleme Emerald and
Diamond Tiara
3)
La Regente Pearl - La Perle Napoleon
References :-
1) Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies - From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
2) Louis-Philippe I, King of the French
3) Neoclassical Jewelry - from the Antique Jewelry
University
5) Gothic Jewelry - from Antique Jewelry University
