Among the precious pieces in Paris on Sunday are an emerald necklace with more than 1000 diamonds, given by Napoleon to his second wife, and other treasures of “inestimable” value.
Os, on the top floor of the Louvre, where the French crown jewels are on display, broke into two high-security display cases and stole nine pieces, according to a press release from the French Ministry of Culture.
One of the jewels, an ornate gold crown worn by Empress Eugénie during her reign in the 19th century, was recovered near the crime scene, the ministry said.
Graphics: Renée Rigdon, CNN
Art recovery expert Arthur Brand said the thieves stole important historical pieces in what was a “national disaster” for France. “These are the crown jewels of Napoleon, his wife and his successors. Therefore, they are a source of pride for France,” Brand told CNN. “It’s a big loss.” Because the pieces are so recognizable, thieves will likely take them apart to sell the jewelry and melt down the gold and silver, he said.
Here’s what was stolen:
Sapphire diadem, necklace and earring worn by several queens
This set of diamond and sapphire jewelry, worn by Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of the Netherlands; Marie-Amélie, queen of the French; and Isabelle d’Orléans, Duchess of Guise, is among the objects stolen by four thieves during the .
The diadem — a piece of jewelry worn by royalty — has 24 Ceylon sapphires and 1,083 diamonds that can be removed and worn as brooches, according to the Louvre.
The origins of the set are unknown, although some suggest that it belonged to Queen Marie Antoinette. Although the jewelry does not bear the hallmarks of the most famous French jewelers of the time, it is indicative of the craftsmanship of early 19th-century Parisian artisans, the museum said. The set remained with the Orléans family until 1985, when it was acquired by the Louvre.
An emerald necklace and earrings given by Napoleon to Marie-Louise
A wedding gift from Napoleon to his second wife, Marie-Louise of Austria, in March 1810, this ornate set was created by jeweler François-Régnault Nitot and includes 32 intricately cut emeralds and 1,138 diamonds.
After the collapse of Napoleon’s empire, Marie-Louise bequeathed the original set, which also included a tiara, to a relative, and it was passed down through generations of her descendants. In 1953, the set was sold to jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, after which the tiara’s emeralds were sold and later replaced with turquoise stones by an American collector. The altered tiara is now part of the Smithsonian’s collection.
The necklace and earrings, however, were preserved in their original form and sold to the Louvre in 2004 for 3.7 million euros.
The reliquary brooch
Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, was the original owner of this s, created by Paul-Alfred Bapst in 1855 especially for her, according to the Louvre. A Spanish countess, Eugénie was empress of the French from 1853 to 1870 and considered one of the most elegant women of the time.
A reliquary brooch is a brooch that contains a sacred relic, a symbol of Eugénie’s Catholic faith. Composed of 94 diamonds, the brooch includes the Mazarin XVII and XVIII diamonds, which were gifted to King Louis XIV by former chief minister Cardinal Mazarin in 1661, according to the museum. These large stones mirror each other in the center of the brooch. Beautiful engravings of foliage decorate the back of the golden brooch, which was acquired by the Louvre in 1887.
Lace brooch with diamonds and diadem of Empress Eugénie
It originally formed the buckle of a diamond belt with 4,000 stones that was displayed at the 1855 Universal Exhibition, before being worn by Empress Eugénie, according to the Louvre.
Eugénie is said to have worn the belt, created by François Kramer, during a visit by Queen Victoria to the Palace of Versailles in August 1855, and again in June 1856 for the Imperial Prince’s baptism. Later, Eugénie decided to turn the belt into a brooch and asked one of her jewelers to transform it into a more elaborate stand-alone piece, adding cascading diamond tassels.
In 1887, the brooch was purchased by jeweler Emile Schlesinger for New York socialite Caroline Astor at auction for 42,200 French francs, according to auction house Christie’s. It remained in the Astor family for more than a century, until the Louvre purchased it in 2008, returning it to France. The museum paid 6.72 million euros for the brooch, according to the Fondation Napoleon.
The pearl diadem was made for Eugénie by jeweler Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier in 1853 and contains 212 pearls and 1,998 diamonds.
Stolen but recovered: Eugénie’s crown
Thieves tried to steal Empress Eugénie’s crown, but it was found outside the Louvre, according to the French Ministry of Culture,
The ornate gold piece, which has 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, was damaged in the robbery, according to French television station TF1 and Le Parisien newspaper.
