Empress Eugenie’s Bow Brooch was made in 1855 by the French jeweller François Kramer for Empress Eugenie, the consort of Emperor Napoleon III.
The original brooch consisted of only the diamond bow. Empress Eugenie asked the jeweller to make it into a larger stomacher, and the fringes and tassels were added.
The bow brooch was left behind in France when Eugenie and Napoleon were exiled in 1871, and it was sold at auction by the government in 1887. A French jeweller named Emile Schlesinger bought it for 42,000 francs, but he actually bought it for Caroline Schermerhorn Astor. The bow brooch remained with the Astor family for the next 100 years.
It was again offered for sale in 2008 at Christie’s in New York, but the sale was cancelled following a legal dispute. However, the Friends of the Louvre wanted the piece for the Louvre Museum, and a private sale was arranged. This means that Empress Eugenie’s Bow Brooch is now on display at the Louvre.1
Be the first to comment