Lot n° 180
Estimation :
80000 - 120000
EUR
Exceptional diamond grand-croix de la Légion d'honneur award - Lot 180
Exceptional diamond grand-croix de la Légion d'honneur awarded by Napoleon III to Achille Fould on August 14, 1857, after the inauguration of the "Nouveau Louvre".
Large gold star with five double rays and pointed tips, the obverse set with diamonds, the reverse with opaque white enamel.
The angled branches of a fruited plant crown in chased emerald-set gold, to the right an oak branch, to the left a laurel branch with ruby-set fruit, linked between the lower points by a finely engraved gold knot in the style of a moiré ribbon and fringed with two separate pendants. The three-part central medallion on the obverse shows the profile of the Emperor on the right, crowned with laurel, against a radiant background set with diamond roses. The listel, enameled in midnight blue, bears the legend "NAPOLEON EMP. DES FRANCAIS", punctuated by a star. The reverse, in two parts, depicts the imperial eagle, head to the right, impaling a thunderbolt and lightning bolts on an amatized background, encircled by the order's motto "HONOR ET PATRIE", punctuated by a star and two dots. Above, attached to the star by a double gold ribbon set with rubies, is a large articulated imperial crown with eight arches resting on imperial eagles in relief, the obverse set with diamonds, the reverse in chased gold, the band with enameled jewels. It is topped by a cruciferous globe to which the suspension ring is attached, almost entirely set with diamonds. It is set with approximately 320 brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds, 12 rubies and 32 emeralds (one missing).
H. 120 mm - W. 73 mm - Weight: 112 g
With no visible marks, this jewel was probably made by Ouizille-Lemoine, supplier to the Légion d'honneur, which in 1855 delivered to Napoleon III a complete grand-croix set with Crown diamonds.
(the latter were dismantled and sold in 1887).
France, circa 1857
Exceptional Grand Cross jewel of the Legion of Honor in diamonds, offered by Napoleon III to Achille Fould on August 14, 1857, after the inauguration of the "New Louvre."
Large star in gold with five double rays at the tips adorned with rosettes, the obverse set with diamonds, the reverse enamelled in opaque white. The branches angling into a fruiting vegetal crown in openwork gold, set with emeralds, with an oak branch on the right and a laurel branch with ruby-set fruit on the left, tied at the lower tips by a finely engraved gold knot resembling a moiré ribbon with two hanging pendants. The central medallion, divided into three parts on the obverse, features a profile of the Emperor facing right, crowned with laurel on a radiant background set with diamond roses. The blue enamelled band bears the inscription "NAPOLEON EMP. DES FRANCAIS," punctuated by a star. On the reverse, in two parts, is the imperial eagle facing right, perched on a thunderbolt with lightning, against a burnished gold background, encircled by the motto of the order "HONNEUR ET PATRIE," punctuated with a star and two dots. Above, the star is attached by a double gold ribbon set with rubies, holding the important imperial crown articulated with eight arches resting on relief imperial eagles. The obverse is set with diamonds, the reverse in chased gold, with a band of enamelled jewels. At the top, it is crowned with a cruciferous globe, on which is attached the suspension ring, almost entirely set with diamonds. The whole is set with approximately 320 brilliant and rose-cut diamonds, 12 rubies, and 32 emeralds (one missing).
H. 4 3/4 in - l. 2 7/8 in - Weight: 3,95 oz.
No visible marks, but this jewel was likely made by the Ouizille-Lemoine company, supplier of the Legion of Honor, which delivered a complete set of Grand Crosses in 1855 to Napoleon III, set with the Crown's diamonds (which were removed and sold in 1887).
France, circa 1857.
6 J
Provenance:
- Achille Fould, then by descent.
- Thierry de Maigret, Armes anciennes et souvenirs historiques, Paris, November 23, 2012, no. 387.
Napoleon III is the only French sovereign to have awarded the diamond-encrusted Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, not as a princely gift inherited from the royal traditions of the Ancien Régime, but as a higher class, in imitation of other European courts, notably Austria and Russia. Napoleon and his son did wear such insignia (necklace, plate, jewels and stars), but these were regalia, not the mark of a higher rank. Likewise, Napoleon had given diamond insignia to rare individuals as a mark of special satisfaction, but these jewels remained imperial gifts, not a specific class, and the Emperor never gave a foreign sovereign a diamond grand eagle.
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