For lovers of jewels belonging to royal families, November 6 and 7 presents a great opportunity: Sotheby’s is auctioning in Geneva a private collection of jewels from royal houses linked to the Austrian Habsburg dynasty. The auction is entitled Vienna 1900: an imperial and royal collection and precedes the classic Magnificent Jewels sale scheduled for November 8th. The blue-blooded collection includes more than 200 jewels which, according to what has been disclosed, were recently rediscovered hidden in a bank vault. A somewhat mysterious origin, in short. In any case, according to Sotheby’s the sale represents the most impressive set of Viennese royal jewels ever offered at auction.
This collection is undoubtedly the most important auction of Noble Jewels after the historic auction of the Royal Jewels of the Bourbon-Parma Family, held by Sotheby’s in Geneva four years ago. The collection is truly exceptional and boasts a unique combination of magnificent ceremonial court jewelry worn by women of Europe’s elite and royal families, as well as a major assemblage of men’s dress accessories, watches, cigarette cases and objets de vertu.
Andres White Correal, Vice President and Senior Director of Jewelery at Sotheby’s
The collection on sale also has historical importance: it also testifies to the jewelry trends and styles embodied by the Houses of Habsburg, Bourbon-Parma, Bourbon-Two Sicilies and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The auction catalog lists jewels from the collections of Archduchess Margherita Sofia of Austria (1870-1902), Archduchess Maria Immacolata of Austria-Tuscany (1878-1968), Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria-Teschen (1845-1927), Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (1861-1948), and Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma (1870-1899). The centerpiece appears to be a bodice ornament that belonged to Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Teschen (1845-1927), in natural pearls and diamonds, received as a wedding gift in 1865. Also on sale are pieces such as the Pearl Tiara natural and diamond stars created by Viennese court jeweler Köchert and a suite of three diamond stars that can be worn as brooches, hairpins or on a tiara frame.
