Sutherland Pearl Diamond and Ruby Zigzag Necklace Incorporating Marie
Antoinette's Pearls
Origin of Name :-
The name refers to an historic zigzag, pearl,
diamonds and ruby necklace designed in 1849 for the Sutherland family,
incorporating a collection of fabulous pearls that once belonged to
Queen Marie Antoinette of France (1755-1793), which was given by the unfortunate
queen for safe keeping, to her friend Lady Sutherland, wife of the
British Ambassador for
France, at the time of the French Revolution. The necklace that remained
in the Sutherland family for over 200 years, mostly in the safe and
secure environment of a bank vault, and had never been offered at an
auction before, came up for sale in London, on December 12, 2007 at a
Christie's Magnificent Jewelry Sale. A pre-sale estimate of £350,000 to
£400,000 ($716,000 to $818,000) was placed on
this unique necklace of ancient historical provenance, but was withdrawn
from the sale after it failed to realize the minimum price set by the
seller. Surprisingly nine years earlier in 1999, a single-strand pearl
necklace consisting of 44 graduated pearls and believed to have belonged
to Queen Marie Antoinette, and later Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton,
was sold for a record $1.47 million, at a Christie's sale in Geneva, the
highest price ever paid for a natural pearl necklace at an auction.
Characteristics of
the Pearl Necklace
Features of the
ruby-collar
The necklace has a characteristic zigzag design,
consisting of a ruby-set collar, and a diamond-set ribbon that
intertwines the ruby-collar, and imparts the characteristic zigzag shape
to the necklace. The collar is set with 12 button-shaped grey natural
pearls, mounted in gold. The interval between two button-shaped pearls
on the collar are mounted with seven old-cushion cut rubies. There are
11 such intervals between the 12 button-shaped pearls. Thus altogether
there are 77 rubies on the collar.
Sutherland Pearl Diamond and Ruby Zigzag Necklace
incorporating Marie Antoinette's Pearls
The diamond-set zigzag ribbon that intertwines the
ruby-collar, is also made of gold and is set with old European-cut
diamonds. There are approximately 16 diamonds on each V-shaped portion
of the zigzag necklace. There are 10 such V-shaped portions on the
necklace making a total of approximately 160 diamonds. Each V-shaped
trough corresponds with a button-shaped pearl on the ruby-collar. Except
for the two button-shaped pearls at the extreme ends of the necklace,
each of the other 10 button-shaped pearls corresponds with a V-shaped
trough.
Arrangement of the 21
drop-shaped grey natural pearls on the necklace
On this zigzag design there are 21 corners or bends -
10 troughs, 9 crests, and the 2 ends of the zigzag design. At each of
these 21 corners or bends, a drop-shaped grey natural pearl is
suspended, by an old-cut diamond collet surmount, attached to the
diamond-set intertwining ribbon. Thus, there are 21 drop-shaped grey
natural pearls on the necklace. Not all the drop-shaped pearls are
perfect drop-shaped. Some of the pearls, particularly around the middle
of the necklace, are larger than the other pearls and pear-shaped, while
others are more oval shaped. Thus, altogether there are 33 pearls (12 +
21) on this zigzag necklace.
The Characteristics
of the pearls on the necklace
The color,
overtone, orient and luster of the pearls
The pearls that belong to the latter half of the 18th
century (approximately 1780) appear to be from the same source, having
the same tone of color, silver-gray and a luster and orient
characteristic of saltwater nacreous pearls. The gray color of the
pearls is caused by melanin pigments associated with the protein part of
nacre, conchiolin, while the non-protein part, aragonite remains
colorless. Silver is an overtone color produced by refraction, as light
passes through successive layers of aragonite and conchiolin. Orient or
iridescence is also caused in this manner. The brilliance or luster of
the pearl is caused by reflection of light from the surface and just
below the surface of the pearl. Color, overtone, orient and luster
of the pearl are all properties that depend on the thickness of the
nacre, and in this case, they are optimum, as the pearls are all
natural, and composed entirely of nacre. This explains why these optical
properties and color are still maintained in these natural pearls,
despite the fact that the pearls are nearly 230 years old. It is
doubtful, whether such optical properties can be maintained in modern cultured
pearls too, for several centuries, in which the nacre is less than 1 mm
thick, and sometimes as low as 0.4 mm.
The shape, size
and surface-quality of the pearls
The shape of the 12 pearls on the ruby-collar are
described as button-shaped. These pearls appear to be spherical on the
exposed side, but slightly flattened on the mounted lower side. The
remaining 21 pearls suspended from the diamond-set zigzag ribbon are
drop-shaped pearls, but they are of different drop-shapes. Some of the
larger drop-shaped pearls in the center are pear-shaped drop pearls.
Some are of course perfect drop-shapes, but there are also oval-shaped
drops and slightly baroque-shaped drops.
The size of the pearls, both in terms of dimensions
and weight are not given, but the pearls appear to be average sized.
Giving approximate average dimensions and weights for the pearls just by
examining photographs would be an exercise in conjecture and therefore
not attempted.
The surface quality of the pearls appear to be quite
good, however it is important to remember that among pearls, whether
natural or cultured, you cannot have a pearl which is 100% blemish-free.
Such a category of pearl does not exist in nature. Even if a pearl
appears to be blemish-free to the naked eyes, some blemishes would
appear under a magnifying glass or a microscope.
History of the Pearl
Necklace
The species of pearl
oyster from which the grey pearls would have originated
The species of saltwater oyster from which grey and
black pearls, usually originate is Pinctada margaritifera, commonly
known as black-lipped pearl oyster, whose geographic range extend from
the Persian Gulf, through the Indian Ocean and the South Sea to the
Pacific Ocean, up to the Gulf of California, in Mexico. In the Pacific
Ocean, the northern limit of its range is around the islands of Japan,
and the southern limit around the French Polynesian Islands in the
southern Pacific, where the species reaches its greatest abundance. The
species is conspicuously absent in the Atlantic Ocean. Another species
of pearl oyster from which black and grey pearls could originate is the
La Paz pearl oyster, Pinctada mazatlantica, a species closely related to
Pinctada margaritifera and possibly evolved from it, also found in the Gulf of
California and the Rainbow-lipped pearl oyster, Pteria sterna, found in
the eastern Pacific, between Baja California and Peru.
Was Baja California
the possible source of these grey pearls?
The pearls belong to the latter half of the
18th-century to the period around the year 1780. Using this information
we can find out the possible sources of these pearls, by studying the
history of the source of natural black pearls throughout the ages. The
Persian Gulf was the most ancient source of black pearls, where Pinctada
margaritifera existed together with Pinctada radiata, even though the
latter was the most predominant species and the main source of white
pearls in the world. Later from the 16th-century to the early
19th-century, the main source of black pearls in the world was Baja
California, after the Spanish conquistadors discovered black pearls in
the Gulf of California or "Sea of Cortez" in Mexico. During this period
most of the black pearls that entered the European pearl markets
originated in Baja California. Beginning from the early 19th-century,
there were two main sources of black pearls in the world. While Baja
California, continued to produce black pearls for the world's pearl
markets, the French Polynesian Islands in the southern Pacific,
also became an alternative source of natural black pearls, that came to
be known as the black Tahitian pearls. The black Tahitian natural pearls
were actually a by-product of the exploitation of the shells of the
black-lipped pearl oyster, to feed the international shell-button
industry. However, due to over exploitation the oyster resources in
French Polynesia were depleted by the end of the 19th-century, and the
industry was abandoned. Baja California, continued to produce black
pearls, until the early 20th-century, when the dual factors of
overexploitation and the introduction of cultured
pearls by Mikimoto, in the 1920s and 1930s, dealt a final death blow to
the natural pearl industry around the world, including that of Baja
California.
Thus, during the latter-half of 18th-century, the
only source of black pearls in the world, was Baja California, in
Mexico. Hence, the most probable source of the Marie Antoinette pearls
incorporated in the Sutherland Necklace, is Baja California, in Mexico.
Marie Antoinette - A
short biography
Her birth and early
life
Marie Antoinette, who was born on November 2, 1755,
at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria, was the youngest daughter, and
the 15th out of 16 children, born to Empress Maria Theresa, Queen of
Hungary and Bohemia and ruler of the Habsburg dominions, and the Holy
Roman Emperor Francis I. She and her elder sister Maria Carolina, the
two youngest girls in the family, grew up together in the Schönbrunn
Palace, under the care of the same governess, and became very close to
each other. The environment in which she grew up, the Austrian court,
was considered to be one of the most progressive courts in Europe at
that time, that introduced several innovations, and basic changes in
court life.
Empress Maria
Theresa's dream of forging closer ties with her allies in the seven
years war by giving her daughters in marriage to members of the royalty
of these nations
Following the end of the seven years war, that lasted
from 1756 to 1763, a major military conflict that involved all the major
European powers, that pitted an alliance of Austria, France, Russia,
Sweden, Spain and Saxony against Great Britain, Prussia, Portugal and a
coalition of smaller German states, a peace treaty was signed in Paris
in 1763. Empress Maria Theresa who had entered into several complex
alliances during the war with other duchies and kingdoms such as Parma,
Naples, Russia, France etc. planned to cement these alliances by giving
her daughters in marriage to the ruling families of these kingdoms.
However, during a small pox outbreak in Austria in 1767, that also hit
the royal family, two of her daughters, and a son died. Empress Maria
Theresa and another daughter Maria Elisabeth, contracted the disease but
survived. Marie Antoinette was immune to the disease and survived.
Empress Maria Theresa's dream of forging closer ties with France,
Austria's traditional enemy was finally realized, when the two
governments agreed to the marriage of Marie Antoinette to the Dauphin
Louis-Auguste, the son of King Louis XV and heir to the French throne.
Historians believe that such a marriage would never have materialized,
if not for the brief period of unity achieved between the traditional
enemies, at the time of the seven years war. Little did Empress Maria
Theresa realize, that by giving her daughter in marriage to a monarch of
a nation, whose subjects had for generations hated the Austrian nation
and its people, she was jeopardizing her beloved daughter's entire
future, that would eventually lead to her death by execution at
the guillotine, on mostly concocted charges without any foundation.
Marie Antoinette's
marriage to Dauphin Louis-Auguste was initially popular among the people
but unpopular with the elder members of the French court right from the
beginning
The marriage of Marie Antoinette to Dauphin Louis-Auguste
took place on May 16, 1770, at the Palace of Versailles. She was 14
years old at the time of her marriage and the Dauphin Louis-Auguste was
16. Marie Antoinette was referred to as the Dauphine of France after her
marriage to Louis-Auguste. As was the custom those days consummation of
the marriage normally took place on the wedding night, but this did not
take place in this case. Perhaps, the couple were too young to involve
themselves in serious sex life. Whatever, might have been the reason for
this, no consummation of marriage took place until seven years after the
marriage. The people of France initially welcomed the marriage, and
Marie Antoinette was given a rousing reception by over 50,000 people,
when she first appeared in Paris at the Tuileries in June 1773. The
people were proud of their future queen, with a charming personality,
tall and beautiful, with blonde hair, fair skin and deep blue eyes.
However, right from the beginning, the marriage was unpopular among
members of the French court, especially among the older ladies, due to
the longstanding tensions between the France and Austria. They began
calling her names behind her back, such as " l'Autrichienne - the
Austrian woman." Marie Antoinette established very friendly relations
with her in-laws, the brothers and sisters of her husband, and perhaps
under the influence of her sisters-in-law, refused to acknowledge King
Louis XV's favorite and mistress Madame du Barry. However, eventually
she made up with Madame du Barry, under pressure from her mother, and
the Austrian minister, Mercy Argenteau. an action that pleased King
Louis XV. Marie Antoinette also established close relationships with
several ladies in her retinue, such as
Countess
Yolande Gabrielle de Polignac, whom she subsequently appoints as the
Governess of the royal children, Princess
Marie Therese de Lamballe, whom she later appoints as the Superintendent
of her household.
Louis Auguste- Dauphin of France. Portrait by
Louis-Michel Van Loo (1769).
Marie Antoinette at the age of 13 years- Portrait by
Joseph Ducreux
Louis-Auguste ascends the
throne as King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette becomes the new Queen of
France
On April
27, 1774, King Louis XV contracted small pox, and two weeks after this,
on May 10, 1774, he died of the disease at the age of 64. During the
period of his illness the king was pressurized to send Madame du
Barry away from Marseilles, which he did on May 4, 1774. Following the
death of the king, Louis-Auguste ascended the throne as King Louis XVI
of France, and was crowned on June 11, 1775, at the Cathedral of Rheims.
Marie Antoinette thus became the new Queen of France, but was totally
excluded from exerting any political influence by her husband and two of
his important ministers, the prime minister and the foreign minister,
all three of whom were anti-Austrian, and feared the potential political
repercussions of allowing her, and through her the Austrian empire, to
have any say in French policy.
Queen Marie Antoinette's
frustrations that led her to engage in costly pastimes that alienated
her from her poor subjects
It was
now 5 years since her marriage, which was yet to be consummated, and the
king still showed a lack of interest in her, which led to rumours of his
impotence and the queen searching for sexual relief elsewhere. In order
to make up for the King's lack of interest in her, she engaged in other
costly pastimes such as, gambling, including horseracing, frequent
visits to the city to buy new clothing, shoes and jewelry, that made
Madame Bertin her miliner famous in France, and the construction of
buildings to suit her own tastes. The King gifted her the "Petit
Trianon", which she set about modifying with the King's approval to suit
her own tastes. She also transformed its garden from an arboretum to a
horticultural paradise. Little did the queen realize that her
engagement in costly pastimes would be used by her enemies and critics
to alienate her from her subjects and portray her as an extravagant
spender, who would care less for her poorer subjects, and being a
daughter of one of France's traditional enemies, was all out to destroy
the country. Her critics even circulated rumours that she plastered the
walls of the "Petit Trianon" with gold and diamonds.
Emperor Joseph's
intervention that helped to consummate the marriage, and paved the way
for the king and queen to lead a normal sex life, blessed with children
Finally,
to put an end to the queen's frustrations generated by the king's
behaviour towards her, Emperor Joseph of Austria, the queen's brother
was forced to intervene, and paid a personal visit to France on April
18, 1777, in order to sort out any differences between them and to
facilitate in the consummation of the marriage. Emperor Joseph's
intervention was helpful, and finally the marriage was consummated in
August 1777, seven years after it was contracted. Since then the king and
queen led a normal sex life, and soon she became pregnant, and her first
child, a daughter Marie-Therese Charlote, was born on December 19, 1778.
After the birth of the first child, the king's affection towards Maire
Antoinette increased, which was reflected in the queen being given an
increase in role in reorganizing the court, with the king's approval,
and some of the candidates sponsored by her being accepted by the king
for appointment, such as the Minister of the Navy and Minister of War.
Birth of a son and successor to the
throne brings relief and joy to the king and queen
Empress
Maria Theresa died in Vienna, on November 29, 1780, that caused a lot of
worry to Queen Marie Antoinette, fearing that the Franco-Austrian
alliance would be jeopardized. Soon after this Marie Antoinette became
pregnant again, and Emperor Joseph visited France for a second time, to
reassure her sister that the Franco-Austrian alliance would continue.
Enemies of the Queen saw this as another opportunity to taint her name,
and created a rumour that the visit was aimed at Marie Antoinette's plan
to siphon treasury money to her brother. The birth of Marie Antoinette's second
child, a son, brought great joy and happinnes, and a sense of relief to
her and the King, as France was now assured of a successor. The young
prince was named Louis Joseph Xavier Francois, and was given the title
Duc de Bretagne. Despite the increase in affection of the king towards
her after the birth of the Dauphin, she was still excluded from any
political leverage, and could not influence her husband in favour of her
brother Joseph in his attempt to claim Bavaria, or to assist him in the
so called "kettle war" to open up the Scheldt River for naval passage.
However in other matters the king still supported his queen, as for
instance, in the controversial appointment of her favorite, the Duchess
de Polignac as the governess for the royal children.
Her third pregnancy ends in a
miscarriage. Her other interests to keep herself busy during her spare
time
Marie
Antoinette was again pregnant in June 1783, but this pregnancy
unfortunately ended in a miscarriage in November 1783. During the period
that followed she engaged herself in the creation of a model hamlet in
the Garden of the "Petit Trianon" known as the "Hameau de la reine"
complete with farmhouse, dairy, mill and 12 cottages, based on another
far grander "model village" built in 1774 for Prince de Conde on his
estate at Chantilly. Her critics now got another opportunity to
tarnish her image, by finding fault with her for her extravagance, by
deliberately inflating the costs involved in the project. To keep
herself busy during her spare time Marie Antoinette engaged herself in
other interests and activities, such as reading historical novels,
studying Rousseau's philosophy, and ancient cultures such as that of the
Incas of Peru, taking an interest in science, and the study of the
English Language. She even developed a friendship with the Duchess of
Devonshire, and the Duke of Dorset, who was the British Ambassador to
France.
The birth of a second and
stronger son brings relief to the king and queen as the Dauphin was not
expected to survive into adulthood
However,
in spite of all these other interests, her main concern became the
health of her son, the Dauphin, which was beginning to fail, as the
child had been weak since the time of his birth. It was widely believed
that the child would not live into adulthood, and the king and queen
were attempting to have another child. Marie Antoinette was again
pregnant in July 1784, and on March 27, 1785, she gave birth to
her second son, Louis Charles. This child was visibly stronger than the
sickly Dauphin, and appeared to solve the problem of succession, in case
of the death of the Dauphin.
Queen Marie Antoinette of France- "Marie Antoinette à
la Rose" portrait by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun.
Queen Marie Antoinette of France with her children,
Princess Marie Therese and Dauphin Louis Joseph (1785)
The purchase of Chateau de Saint-Cloud
that further alienates public opinion against her
Marie Antoinette then purchased the Chateau de
Saint-Cloud from the Duc d'Orleans, with the intention of leaving it as
inheritance to her younger children. This acquisition became highly
unpopular among her critics in the French nobility and the general
population, not only because of the enormous costs involved in
purchasing and refurbishing the chateau, but also because the people of
France could not reconcile themselves to a novel situation, that raised
the possibility of a French queen owning her private residence
independent of the king. This transaction further aggravated her already
dented reputation as a frivolous and extravagant queen. Moreover the
continued publication of the "Libelles," the political
pamphlets that slanders the monarchy, that was highly critical of the
royal family and particularly of the queen, portraying her as a woman of
questionable character, raising doubts as to the legitimacy of her
children, served to consolidate public opinion against her, as a
licentious, spendthrift and empty-headed foreign queen, unfit to rule
over France.
Queen Marie
Antoinette's unpopularity made her a convenient scapegoat for the ills
of the French nation
In 1787, the financial situation of the country
deteriorated causing untold hardship and misery around the country, due
to increase in prices of foodstuffs, including bread. The actual
factors that contributed to this crisis, were too many expensive wars in
which the country was directly involved; the maintenance of a large
extended
royal family, whose large frivolous expenditure far exceeded those of
the immediate royal family, the king, queen and the children; the
unwillingness on the part of the large aristocracy to help defray the
costs of the government by paying higher taxes. Unfortunately, for Queen
Marie Antoinette, her unpopularity in the country, and the fact that she
came from a country that was a traditional enemy of France, made her a
convenient scapegoat for all the ills of France, and the general public
perceived her as single-handedly responsible for ruining the finances of
the nation.
The conflict between
the king and parliament that delayed attempts to reverse the
financial crisis
The king made desperate attempts to reverse the trend, as
the Parliament refused to co-operate with the king in introducing
reforms. Ignoring the Parliament, the king with the help of the finance
minister, summoned
the "Assembly of Notables" after a lapse of 160 years, to push through
reforms, needed to alleviate the financial situation. The Assembly of
Notables met beginning from February 22, 1787, but failed to pass any
reforms as requested by the king. Instead, like the Parliament, the
Assembly too defied the king, demanding its own reforms and that the
king should acquiesce to the Parliament. The king then dismissed the
finance minister Calonne, and withdrew from all decision making
processes, as he went into a bout of serious depression, caused by the
heavy pressures placed on him, by the financial crisis. Queen Marie
Antoinette was then forced to take the place of the king and take
decisions on his behalf.
Marie Antoinette was
forced to act for the king for a short period, during his period of
depression, and tried her best to heal the rift between the king and the
assembly
Marie Antoinette in her new role, acting for her
husband, tried her best to heal the rift between the "Assembly of
Notables" and the king. She dismissed the controversial Duchess de
Polignac, whose role involved unnecessary expenditure for the Crown. She
introduced several measures to curtail the expenditure of the royal
court. On her recommendation, the king appointed the archbishop of
Toulouse, Etienne Charles de Brienne as the finance minister, who
introduced further cutbacks at the royal court. However, Brienne too
failed to reverse the financial crisis, and the failure of the "Assembly
of Notables" to take action, led to its dissolution on May 25, 1787. The
inability to find a viable solution, was again blamed on Queen Marie
Antoinette. In the midst of this crisis in June 1787, the queen lost her
youngest child Sophie Helen Beatrice, who was just one-year old. The
king who was recovering from his depression, then exiled Parliament in November 1787, and tried to force through
new legislation by edict, which was opposed by his cousin the Duc
d'Orleans, who too was exiled. The edicts issued on May 8, 1788, came to
be known as the May Edicts, which too was opposed by the public. The
king then summoned the Estates General another traditional elected
legislature, which had not convened since 1614.
Queen Marie Antoinette of France just before the onset
of the French revolution- Portrait by Alexandre Kucharsky
Death of the Dauphin
that plunges the royal family into a state of mourning, but largely
ignored by the French people, sending a clear signal to the royal
family, as what lay in store for them in the future
During these tumultuous days, the health of the
Dauphin began to deteriorate, as he was suffering from tuberculosis, and
Marie Antoinette time was mostly occupied caring for her sick child. The
child was moved to a chateau in the countryside, at Meudon, in the hope
that the fresh country air would facilitate his recovery. However, she
was still present at important state functions, as for instance during
the visit of Tippu Sahib of Mysore to Versailles, seeking French help
against the British. She also prevailed on the king to recall Jacques
Necker as finance minister, a move that was supported by the people. But
unfortunately, Jacques Nacker could not do much, as the severe winter of
1788/89, caused bread prices to rise again. Riots broke out in Paris in
April 1789, and at the same time the Dauphin's condition also worsened.
In the month of May 1789, the Estates General split into two factions,
the democratic Third Estate, consisting of the bourgeoisie and radical
nobility and the Second Estate, consisting of the royalist nobility. The
Dauphin's condition now worsened, and the seven-year old boy finally
passed away peacefully at Meudon on June 4, 1789, with his caring mother
at his side, and driving the queen and the royal family into a state of
shock and mourning. The mood of the nation was put to the test by this
royal death, which under normal circumstances would have been mourned
nationally, but this time was virtually ignored by the French people.
The writing on the wall was now very clear. The king, queen and the rest
of the royal family would have undoubtedly known what lay in store for
them in the future.
The Third Estate
declares itself a National Assembly. Storming of the Bastille on July
14, 1789 signals the beginning of the French revolution
The Third Estate comprising of the bourgeoisie and
the radical nobility, now took the law into its own hands, and declared
itself a National Assembly, setting itself on a confrontational course
with the king. Attempts by the king to suppress the Third Estate
resulted in failure, and the king retaliated by dismissing Jacques
Necker, which led to riots in Paris and storming of the Bastille on July
14, 1789, signaling the beginning of the French revolution. The National
Assembly now took control of the country, and began conscripting men to
serve in the Garde Nationale. Most of the royalist nobility, including
the comte d'Artois and the duchess de Polignac, fled the country,
fearing assassination. But, Queen Marie Antoinette, whose life was the
most in danger, due to her unpopularity, decided to stay behind with the
king to help him promote stability, with the hope that the situation
would calm down. Steps were now taken by the National Assembly for the
creation of a constitutional monarchy in France, which adopted the
"Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen," by the end of August.
The royal family is
moved from the palace at Versailles to the Tuileries palace in Paris,
where they are placed under house arrest
Then on October 5, 1789, a revolutionary mob from Paris moved to the
royal palace at Versailles, and forced the royal family, along with the comte de Provence, his wife and Madame Elisabeth, to move to Paris,
where they were installed in the Tuileries Palace, and placed under
surveillance. During this period, the king and queen were still asked to
attend certain ceremonial and charitable functions, including religious
ceremonies. However, despite being under surveillance in the Tuileries
Palace, where she devoted most of her time to her children, the libelles
continued the false accusations against Marie Antoinette, defaming her
character, and maliciously accusing her of committing adultery,
lesbianism, incest and host of other charges of sexual
depravation. Little did she realize, that the false stories that were
being written about her in the libelles, were the ones that would be
used subsequently to justify her execution.
The royal family
escapes from Paris on June 21, 1791, but are captured after 24 hours and
brought back to Paris
During their house arrest in the Tuileries palace,
friends of the royal family drew up many plots to help them
escape from Paris and enter the royalist strongholds. All such plans
required the fullest co-operation of the escapees themselves for
successful execution. While at times Queen Marie Antoinette refused to
leave alone with her son, leaving the king and the rest of the family
back, during other instances, the king himself hesitated, unable to
decide who should be included in the escape, the timing of the escape
and the exact route to be taken. Eventually, after several delays caused
by the hesitation and indecisiveness of the king, the royal family
consented to a plan drawn up by Count Axel von Fersen and Baron de
Breteuil, to escape to the royalist stronghold of Montmedy, which
required some members of the royal family to pose as servants of a
wealthy Russian baroness. The escape finally took place on June 21,
1791, but due to its poor execution was destined to be a failure. Just
24 hours after the escape, the entire royal family was captured at
Varennes, and taken back to Paris, jeered by the crowds who insulted the
queen calling her "the Austrian."
Austria and Prussia
declare war on France, that lead to domestic repercussions in France,
and the imprisonment of the royal family in the Tower of the Temple on
charges of treason
Marie Antoinette's only hope was now the intervention
of her brother the new Emperor of Austria Leopold II, whom she believed
would find some way to defeat the revolutionaries and save their lives
and possibly restore the monarchy. She also sought aid from her sister,
the queen of Naples, and other European leaders. Austria and Prussia
then declared war on France, and the perception of Marie Antoinette in
the eyes of the French people worsened. She was viewed as an enemy, and
the situation was further aggravated when the French forces were badly
defeated by the Austrians in several engagements. The antagonism of the
French people towards the royal family, and particularly Marie
Antoinette increased. On August 10, 1792, an armed and unruly mob try to
force its way into the Tuileries Palace, and the royal family sought
refuge in the Legislative Assembly. After some time the mob invaded the
palace and massacred the Swiss palace guards. On August 13, the royal
family was moved to the Tower of the Temple in the Marais, and
imprisoned on charges of treason.
The September
massacres that saw the beheading of Marie Lambelle, whose head was fixed
on a pike and paraded outside Marie Antoinette's prison window to warn
her of the fate that would befall her in the near future
In the following week most of the attendants of the
royal family who served them faithfully, were arrested and taken in for
questioning by the Paris Commune. Among them was Princess Marie Therese
de Lambelle, Marie Antoinette's close friend and associate and the
superintendent of her household. Eventually, she became one of the
victims of the September massacres, carried out on the 3rd of September.
The head of Princess Lambelle was fixed on a pike and paraded through
the city, and particularly in front of Marie Antoinette's prison window,
as if to warn her of the fate that would befall her in the near future.
Marie Antoinette did not see the head of her friend paraded outside her
window, but when she was eventually informed about it, fainted inside
her cell.
The National
Convention declares the First French Republic, puts Louis XVI on trial,
find him guilty of treason, and sentence him to death by execution on
the guillotine
After the intense anti-royalist feelings generated by
the declaration of war by Austria and Prussia, the National
Constituent Assembly that previously opted for a constitutional
monarchy, underwent a change of heart, and decided to abolish the
monarchy completely, and go in for a republican constitution. They
adopted the constitution of the First French Republic on September 14,
1792. On September 21, 1792, the National Convention announced the fall
of the monarchy, and assumed the role of the sole legal authority of
France. The National Convention then decided to put Louis XVI on trial
on charges of undermining the First French Republic. He was separated
from his family, and tried in December 1792, by the National Convention,
which found him guilty and sentenced him to death by beheading on the
guillotine. A suggestion to keep the ex-king as a hostage in exchange
for French prisoners held by the Austrians, was rejected by the Jacobins
who were calling the shots in the aftermath of the revolution. The
sentence however was carried out only one month afterwards. Louis XVI
was finally executed by beheading on the guillotine, on January 21,
1793, at the age of 38 years, ending a long line of Bourbon monarchs who
ruled France, since the 16th century, beginning with Henry IV in 1589.
The Bourbon monarchy was restored for a short period after the defeat of
Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, until the July revolution of 1830.
King Louis the XVI of France
The news of Louis
XVI's death devastates Marie Antoinette who goes into deep mourning,
refusing food and drink, and eventually contracts tuberculosis
News of Louis XVI's death eventually reached Marie
Antoinette, who was devastated by the sad news of the death of her
beloved husband. She went into deep mourning, and refused to eat or
drink or take exercises. The mental and physical agony she was
subjected to in prison, led to the rapid deterioration of her health, in
the following months. She contracted tuberculosis, due to lack of proper
nutrition and fresh air while confined to the prison cell. It is said
that she also possibly suffered from uterine cancer, that caused her to
bleed frequently from the uterus.
Marie Antoinette's
trial on concocted charges, by a revolutionary tribunal, which found her
guilty and sentenced her to execution by guillotine on October 16, 1793
The main issue that faced the National Convention
after the death of Louis XVI, was the fate of Marie Antoinette and how
to deal with the ailing former queen. While some members of the
Convention were sympathetic and requested to spare her life, advocating
either exile to America, or exchanging her for either French
prisoners-of-war or for a ransom from the Holy Roman Emperor, other
hardliners wanted her to be put on trial and executed like her husband,
holding her equally responsible for all the woes and ills of the French
nation. Finally, the hardliners had their way, and the ex-queen was
moved out of the Tower into the Conciergerie as a prisoner, bearing No.
280. Even at this late stage attempts were made, by sympathetic
individuals, to get her out of prison, but she refused to
co-operate in any plot to escape, resigning herself to her fate and
determined to join her husband very soon. She was finally tried by a
so-called revolutionary tribunal on October 14, 1793. The trial was a
sham and lasted only two days. She was accused of a number of concocted
charges, such as adultery, lesbianism, incest, organizing sexual orgies
in Versailles, and other acts of sexual depravation, none of which could
be supported by reliable evidence, but appeared to be based on stories
created by libelles. Other concocted charges include, sending millions
of livres of treasury money to Austria; plotting to kill the Duc
d'Orleans; declaring her son to be the new king of France after the
death of Louis XVI; orchestrating the massacre of the Swiss Guards at
the Tuileries Palace in 1792; and conniving with the enemies of France,
at a time when the country was at war with Austria and Prussia. After a
short trial, she was declared guilty of treason, early in the morning of
October 16, 1793, and sentenced to death by execution on the guillotine.
Unlike the king's execution, which was postponed by a month, Marie
Antoinette's execution was to take place immediately. Thus, on October
16, 1793, at 12.15 p.m. just a few weeks before her 38th birthday, Marie
Antoinette, who was wearing a simple white dress, was executed by
guillotine at the "Place de la Revolution."
Execution of Marie Antoinette of France on 16th
October 1793
Marie Antoinette - A
historical re-assessment
Marie Antoinette a
symbol of womanhood, motherhood and a dutiful wife. History vindicates
her innocence and places her among the greatest queens in the history of
Europe
Her famous last words were addressed to the
executioner, Sanson, "Pardon me Sir, I meant not to do it," when
she accidentally stepped on his foot, before he carried out the
execution. At her dying moment if she could be so generous to her
executioner, does it not speak well of her disposition when she was the
queen of France, despite all the negative propaganda about her
extravagance? She might have been extravagant, but she was never
arrogant as a queen. She loved her subjects and liked to take part in
charitable events to help the poor. She was a queen, but she was also a
dutiful wife to her husband, always ready to stand by his side in his
most difficult moments, and never willing to abandon him, even when she
had so many chances to escape with her children to the safety of
friendly territories. She loved her husband so much, that she refused
even her last chances of escape, and decided to remain in France, and
sacrifice her life as her husband did, and experience the same mode of
death as her husband. She faced death bravely, which even most men would
not be prepared to do. She was a queen, but she was also a loving and
caring mother, taking care of her sick and dying children until their
last moments. When the pressure of work and the never ending problems in
the country, drove the king into a bout of depression, she had the
courage and the nerve to carry on, acting on behalf of the king, trying
to find solutions to problems facing the country and heal the rift
between the king and the assembly. Her only weak point was her
nationality, being an Austrian, a country that was a traditional enemy
of France. Thus, she became a scapegoat for all the woes and ills of the
French nation, though the blame for much of these ills lay elsewhere.
Thus she was a victim of circumstances. A right queen, but in a wrong
country. History has vindicated her innocence and has granted her the
rightful place as one of the greatest queens in the history of Europe.
How the Marie
Antoinette pearls came into the possession of the Duke of Sutherland's
family ?
The Duke of Dorset
was the British Ambassador to France at the time the French revolution
broke out, but was soon replaced by Lord George Granville Leveson-Gower
in 1790
The British Ambassador to France, at the height of
the French revolution was Lord George Granville Leveson-Gower, the 1st
Duke of Sutherland, the British politician, landowner and patron of the
arts, who was appointed as Ambassador to France in 1790 after the
outbreak of the French revolution, and was withdrawn in August 1792,
when the situation in France worsened, anarchy reigning supreme and mobs
going on the rampage, particularly in Paris and Versailles. Lord George
Granville Leveson-Gower replaced the Duke of Dorset, the famous
cricketer and one of the founders of the Marylebone Cricket Club, as
Ambassador, who served as diplomat in France from 1783 to 1789, in the
lead up to the French revolution. Marie Antoinette established
close relationship with the families of foreign Ambassadors living
in France, including the family of the Duke of Dorset. In 1789, when the
French revolution began, with the storming of the Bastilles in Paris, on
July 14, the Duke of Dorset was in England organizing an international
cricket tour to be held in August 1789 at Paris. The English team, that
also included the renowned cricketer William Yalden, congregated at the
port city of Dover, in Kent, in Southeast England on August 10, before
crossing over to France. However, reports reaching Dover from France,
across the English Channel was not favorable, and the Duke of Dorset
decided to cancel the tour of France. Thus, what might have become the
first international cricket tour in cricketing history, was cancelled
for political reasons, the uncertain conditions that prevailed during
the French revolution. The Duke of Dorset did not return to France as
ambassador, and was replaced by Lord George Granville Leveson-Gower, who
took up residence in Versailles in 1790, despite the uncertain
conditions in the country.
John Sackville 3rd Duke of Dorset, British Ambassador
to France
At the time Lord
George Granville Leveson-Gower took up residence in France, the royal
family were already under house arrest in the Tuileries Palace, though
yet under less stringent conditions
Thus, at the time Lord George Granville Leveson-Gower
and his wife Lady Elizabeth Leveson-Gower took up residence in France,
King Louis XVI and his family were already under house arrest in the
Tuileries Palace, after a revolutionary mob from Paris arrested them on
October 5, 1789, at the Versailles Palace, and later transferred them to
Tuileries Palace. Under the circumstances Lord George Granville Leveson-Gower
and Lady Elizabeth Leveson-Gower did not get the chance to get to know
the Royal family so closely as the Duke of Dorset. Yet conditions
under which the King and the Queen were kept at the Tuileries was not
yet so stringent, as they were still asked to attend certain ceremonial
and charitable functions, including religious ceremonies. However, being
diplomats, both Lord George and Lady Elizabeth, were still granted the
privilege of meeting the royal family.
George Granville Leveson-Gower, the first Duke of
Sutherland, British Ambassador to France.
Queen Marie
Antoinette entrusts a collection of diamonds and pearls to Lady
Elizabeth Leveson-Gower for safe-keeping until the situation normalized
It is believed, that it was
during one of these visits to the Tuileries Palace, Marie Antoinette
entrusted a collection of diamonds and pearls to Lady Elizabeth for safe
keeping until the situation normalized in the country. Lady Elizabeth
agreed to help the queen, and took charge of the diamonds and pearls,
which she carried to safety of her residence in Paris. It is also
believed that it was Lady Elizabeth who was used by the planners of the
plot - to help the royal family escape from Paris, to the royalist
strongholds - to carry disguises to the royal family to facilitate their
escape. Unfortunately, just as the mission was about to be accomplished,
the royal family were identified and captured at Varennes, about
320 km away from Paris, and brought back to Tuileries, amidst the jeers
of the crowds.
Britain breaks off
diplomatic relations with France in August 1792, and Ambassador George
Leveson-Gower and his wife Elizabeth Leveson-Gower leave Paris for
England, carrying Marie Antoinette's collection of diamonds and pearls
with them
Subsequently, after Austria and Prussia declared war
on France, the entire royal family was moved on August 13, 1792, to the
Tower of the Temple in Marais, and imprisoned under more stringent
conditions than the Tuileries Palace. This was not only to safeguard the
royal family from attacking mobs, but also to thwart any future escape
attempts, and perhaps to prevent an invading army of Austrians and
Prussians from rescuing the royal family. Around the same time Britain
decided to break off diplomatic relations with France, and Ambassador
George Granville Leveson-Gower and Lady Elizabeth Gower were recalled to
England. The Ambassador and his wife left Paris for England in August
1792, and Lady Elizabeth is believed to have carried the collection of
diamonds and pearls, entrusted to her for safe-keeping by Marie
Antoinette, to England. Enjoying diplomatic immunity, the ambassador and
his wife were not subjected to any search by the ruthless republican
guards, and the diamonds and pearls
were carried safely to England.
The Marie Antoinette
collection of pearls had remained with the Sutherland family for over
200 years, and the pearls were incorporated into the zigzag necklace in
1849
The Marie Antoinette collection of diamonds and
pearls had remained with the Sutherland family for over 200 years, ever
since they were handed over by the unfortunate queen to Lady Elizabeth
Gower in 1792. After Marie Antoinette's death, the collection of
diamonds were incorporated into a necklace, that came to be known as the
Sutherland Diamond Necklace. The collection of pearls that included the
12 button-shaped pearls and 21 drop-shaped pearls were incorporated into
the exquisitely designed zigzag necklace, consisting of a ruby-set
collar and a diamond set intertwining ribbon, that is the subject of
this webpage. This necklace was designed in 1849, 160 years ago, on the
occasion of the marriage between Lady Elizabeth's grandson, George
Granville William Sutherland Leveson-Gower and Anne Hay-Mckenzie, which
took place on June 20, 1849. Ever since, the necklace had remained with
the descendants of the Sutherland family and had never been put up for
sale. Being a valuable family possession, the necklace was always kept
in the safe vault of a bank, and was rarely used by any members of the
family.
The Sutherland Pearl,
Diamond and Ruby necklace comes up for sale at a Christie's London,
Magnificent Jewelry Sale, on December 12, 2007
Based on historical
provenance and the auction performance of another single-strand pearl
necklace attributed to Marie Antoinette, the auction house set a
pre-sale estimate of USD 700,000 to 800,000 for the necklace
The necklace, now known as the Sutherland pearl,
diamond and ruby necklace, was put up for sale at a Christie's London,
Magnificent Jewelry Sale, held on Wednesday, December 12, 2007.The
identity of the descendant of the Sutherland family who put it up for
auction, was withheld by the auction firm. The extraordinary provenance
of the pearl necklace, incorporating pearls that once belonged to the
unfortunate Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, supported by documents
and other sources of evidence, was expected to significantly enhance the
value of the necklace. Raymond Sancroft Baker, Senior Director of
Christie's Jewelry, London, said, “It is exceptionally rare to be
able to offer jewels that belonged to Marie Antoinette and which are
completely fresh to the market. The story behind the pearls and their
integral incorporation into this necklace for the Sutherland-Leveson-Gower
family wedding in 1849 adds to the fascinating history of this necklace,”
Continuing further he said, "You are buying a piece of history and a
fine necklace."
Katrina Warner, from
Surrey, England, who viewed the necklace at a pre-sale exhibition, held
at Christie's London, said, "Even if you leave Marie Antoinette out,
it's a very nice necklace," and predicted that the necklace would
sell for more than a million dollars. Her prediction was not far from
the truth based on the performance of another piece of jewelry, that
once belonged to Marie Antoinette and subsequently Barbara Hutton, a
single-strand pearl necklace consisting of 44 graduated natural pearls,
ranging in size from 8.7 to 16.3 mm, with a total weight of 1,816.68
grains, that was sold at a Christie's sale in Geneva, in November 1999,
for a record breaking price of 1.47 million dollars, the highest price
ever recorded for a natural pearl necklace at an auction, at that time.
The
Sutherland Pearl Diamond and Ruby Necklace fail to realize the reserve
price at the auction and is withdrawn from the sale
The auction house
placed a pre-sale estimate of £350,000 to £400,000
on the necklace, equivalent to $700,000 to $800,000. However, to the
utter astonishment of the auction house as well as observers of the
natural pearl market in the world, the pearl necklace failed to realize
the reserve price set by its owners, and was therefore withdrawn from
the sale. The low price recorded was probably due to the recession, but
it now appears that it had more due to the venue of the sale, rather than
any fall in demand for natural pearls or lack of solid historic
provenance. Had the necklace been put for
sale at a Middle Eastern venue like Dubai or Qatar, where there is a
strong auction market for natural pearls, it would have undoubtedly registered the target predicted
by the auction house or even a substantially higher sale price.
A comparison of
prices recorded by natural pearls and pearl jewelry at public auctions
conducted by international auction houses between 1969 and 2009
The following table gives a list of famous natural
pearls and pearl jewelry, that were sold at public auctions, conducted
by international auction houses, during the period 1969 to 2009, showing
strong auction demand developing for old natural pearls beginning from
around 1987. The highest price ever realized for a natural pearl
necklace, was approximately USD 7.1 million, for the two-strand Baroda
Pearl Necklace, that was sold in April 2007, at a Christie's auction in
New York. The second highest price realized for a natural pearl necklace
was approximately USD 3.6 million, registered by the single-strand
Duchess of Windsor pearl necklace in December 2007, at a Sotheby's
Magnificent Jewels Auction also held in New York. Ironically, both these
natural pearl necklaces were sold in the same year as the Sutherland
Pearl, Diamond and Ruby necklace was put up for sale in London. The
Pearl Carpet of Baroda was sold at a Sotheby's auction held at Doha,
Qatar for a record USD 5.5 million in March, 2009. The Gulf Pearl Parure,
designed by Harry Winston, was sold for a record USD 4.1 million in
November 2006, at a Christie's auction held in Geneva.
Table of some famous
natural pearls/pearl jewelry sold at public auctions conducted by
international auction houses, giving the date of auction and the prices
realized, during the period 1970 to 2009
S/N
Name of pearl/pearl jewelry
Probable period of origin
weight
date of auction
Price realized
1
La Peregrina
1513
203.84 grains
1969
USD 37,000
2
Mancini pearls
1500-1600
400 grains
Oct.1979
USD 253,000
3
Mona Bismarck 2-strand pearl necklace
1920-1930
Double-strand of 70 pearls
May 1986
USD 410,000
4
Duchess of Windsor pearl necklace
1910-1936
Single-strand of 28 natural pearls. Total
weight 1266.33 grains
April 1987
Dec 2007
USD 733,333
3,625,000
5
Empress Eugenie tiara
1853
212 pearls, 2,520 grains
Nov 1992
USD 650,000
6
Nina Dyer black pearl necklace
1950s
151 natural black pearls
Nov 1997
USD 913,320
7
Barbara Hutton pearls
1600-1666
44 natural pearls, total weight of 1,816.68
grains
May 1992
Nov 1999
USD 580,000
USD 1,470,000
8
Unidentified natural pearl necklace by
Cartier
Historical provenance not revealed
Double-strand necklace with 88 natural pearls
Nov 2004
USD 3,100,000
9
La Regente
1811
302.68 grains
Nov 2005
USD 2,483,968
10
Gulf pearl parure designed by Harry Winston
1932-1978
Nov 2006
USD 4,100,000
11
Baroda pearl necklace
1856-1870
Double-strand with 68 natural pearls from the
original 7-strand necklace
April 2007
USD 7,096,000
12
Umm Kulthum pearl necklace
1880
nine-stranded necklace with 1,888 pearls
April 2008
USD 1,390,000
13
Pearl necklace from an unidentified notable
collection
Historical provenance not revealed
Single-strand necklace with 41 natural pearls
Nov 2008
USD 1,321,110
14
Unidentified pearl and diamond festoon
necklace
Historical provenance not revealed
Nine-strand pearl and diamond festoon
necklace. Length 645mm to 1060mm
Nov 2008
USD 946,610
15
Pearl Carpet of Baroda
1860
1.5-2.0 million natural seed pearls
March 2009
USD 5,500,000
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)
1) The Royal Splendor of Marie Antoinette's Pearls at
Christie's in December - Press release by Christie's, Thursday, 27th
September 2007 (PDF).
www.christies.com
References :-
1) The Royal Splendor of Marie Antoinette's Pearls at
Christie's in December - Press release by Christie's, Thursday, 27th
September 2007. www.christies.com
2) The extraordinary story behind the
£1 m auction of Marie Antoinette's pearls - Tony
Rennell. www.dailymail.co.uk
3) Marie Antoinette's pearls up for auction - Monday,
December 10, 2007. www.nydailynews.com
4) Marie Antoinette Biography - www.ladyreading.net
5) Marie Antoinette - Queen of France, 1755 - 1793.
www.lucidcafe.com
6) Marie Antoinette - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
7) Did you know? Mexico was once the world's major
source of pearls. -
www.mexconnect.com
