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Christie’s to Sell Royal Tiara in Geneva
Mar 28, 2019 6:39 AM
By Rapaport News
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RAPAPORT... Christie’s will offer a historic tiara belonging to Princess
Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland at its Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale in
May.
The headpiece, which Fabergé made in 1904, was commissioned
by Frederick Francis IV, the grand duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, as a wedding
gift for his bride. The grand duke chose Fabergé on the encouragement of his
mother, Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, an avid collector. It
has a presale estimate of $230,000 to $340,000.
The tiara features nine graduated, pear-shaped aquamarines,
and old-, cushion- and rose-cut diamonds, fashioned into forget-me-not flowers
tied with ribbon bows, which symbolize true and eternal love. The pierced
arrows represent cupid, and are a token of endearment, attraction and
affection, Christie’s noted.
The tiara wasn’t ready in time due to a delay in the return of correspondence between the grand
duke and Eugène Fabergé, who was designing the piece. The princess instead wore the traditional Hanoverian
nuptial crown that had been in her family for more than a century. The grand duke
gave her the wedding gift, for which he paid RUB 7,500, at a later date.
Image: The Fabergé tiara. (Christie’s)
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Tags:
Christie’s, Eugène Fabergé, Fabergé, Geneva Magnificent Jewels, Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Rapaport News
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