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Battenberg Jewels
Posted by The Royal Watcher on April 22, 2021, 11:06 am
In the only portrait I found of Princess Anna, she wears this spectacular diamond necklace, which appears to be the same one (the upper portion at least) worn by her mother-in-law, Julia, Princess of Battenberg, at the Wedding of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg in 1885.
Posted by Beth on April 22, 2021, 6:46 pm, in reply to "Battenberg Jewels"
Fascinating!
Congratulations The Royal Watcher! I am hoping that you can find more. You have opened up a whole new arena!
This is an area of the history of royal jewels about which I know nothing. And I suspect few others do either.
I would really like to read more tonight, but I guess I will have to wait patiently. Sigh! Sigh!
Division of the Battenberg Jewels
Posted by The Royal Watcher on April 22, 2021, 10:25 pm, in reply to "Re: Battenberg Jewels"
Thank You Beth! While I haven't been able to find anything about the provenance nor fate of Princess Julia's jewels, I decided to talk about the jewels they gave to their daughters-in-law and what became of them. In addition to the jewels in the portrait above, the Princess was also pictured in this grand diamond floral necklace for a painting:
The eldest son, Prince Louis of Battenberg (later the 1st Marquess of Milford Haven), was married to Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Prince Alexander gave Princess Victoria a Tiara as a wedding gift, and it seems to be the same one she wore on her wedding day and at the Coronation of King George V in 1911. The Tiara, along with her Pearl Star Tiara and probably any other jewels she inherited from the Battenbergs, were left in Russia for safekeeping at the start of WWI and were lost during the Russian Revolution.
The second son, Prince Alexander of Battenberg, was the Prince of Bulgaria from 1879 to 1886, and married the actress Johanna Loisinger, who became the Countess von Hartenau. She was pictured wearing two tiaras:
The third son, Prince Henry of Battenberg, was married to Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, who received a Sapphire and Diamond Tiara and Parure from her parents-in-law as a wedding present in 1886. Many of her jewels were lost during a fire at Balmoral, and I suspect this Parure might have been among them. However, Princess Beatrice was able to retain a cluster of diamond roses from Princess Julia which she passed on to her daughter-in-law in 1917. I also suspect that a Sapphire Brooch now in the possession of Infanta Margarita of Spain could have come from Princess Beatrice's Battenberg wedding gifts, but upon discussion with RDavid, there is no documentation to tie the two together. Princess Beatrice was not picturing in any distinctive Battenberg jewels at the Coronations of 1902 and 1911, but was pictured bejewelled at the christenings of her Spanish grandchildren, though the mass of lace doesn't make it easy of identify anything.
The fourth and youngest son was Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg, who married Princess Anna of Montenegro after the deaths of both parents, but since she was pictured wearing the Battenberg necklace, he must have inherited a decent share of the jewels. Princess Anna probably also received wedding gifts (including the Diamond Aigrette) from Queen Victoria and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (who provided a dowry of one million rubles), as well as her brother-in-law, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. The couple were in financial difficulties following the first world war, and Princess Anna probably sold the jewels between then and her death in 1971.
I don't speak Spanish but I follow the Dinastas board using google translate. There seems to have been some academic journals published in recent weeks about the Spanish royal jewels over the generations which has sparked interest and speculation as to the various pieces and what became of them.
A poster called Lambelle wrote the following on 24 March based on the article, which is based on inventories in Queen Ena's own hand:
"He mentions a piece by Ansorena that brings me down the street of bitterness: diadem of diamonds and sapphires mounted in platinum, with a large cabochon sapphire in the centre and several more adorning the piece. It was already in Ansorena's article, but not her description. What would become of her?"
Queen Ena clearly had a cabochon sapphire tiara, her mother received a cabochon sapphire tiara as a wedding gift. Coincidence? Maybe but the description sounds very similar to the image on Ursula's website, although it appears Ena's piece was an Ansorena piece, that doesnt mean she didn't have it changed by Ansorena.
Janet, that tiara (which se don’t know how it looked like) was given to Queen Ena by King Alfonso XIII when Infante Don Jaime was born. For this reason I doubt it was made with such jewels.
Previous Message
I don't speak Spanish but I follow the Dinastas board using google translate. There seems to have been some academic journals published in recent weeks about the Spanish royal jewels over the generations which has sparked interest and speculation as to the various pieces and what became of them.
A poster called Lambelle wrote the following on 24 March based on the article, which is based on inventories in Queen Ena's own hand:
"He mentions a piece by Ansorena that brings me down the street of bitterness: diadem of diamonds and sapphires mounted in platinum, with a large cabochon sapphire in the centre and several more adorning the piece. It was already in Ansorena's article, but not her description. What would become of her?"
Queen Ena clearly had a cabochon sapphire tiara, her mother received a cabochon sapphire tiara as a wedding gift. Coincidence? Maybe but the description sounds very similar to the image on Ursula's website, although it appears Ena's piece was an Ansorena piece, that doesnt mean she didn't have it changed by Ansorena.
Oh thank you for the clarification. From what I have read, it seems the tiara disappeared without a trace? Any insight you can share?
Previous Message
Janet, that tiara (which se don’t know how it looked like) was given to Queen Ena by King Alfonso XIII when Infante Don Jaime was born. For this reason I doubt it was made with such jewels.
Previous Message
I don't speak Spanish but I follow the Dinastas board using google translate. There seems to have been some academic journals published in recent weeks about the Spanish royal jewels over the generations which has sparked interest and speculation as to the various pieces and what became of them.
A poster called Lambelle wrote the following on 24 March based on the article, which is based on inventories in Queen Ena's own hand:
"He mentions a piece by Ansorena that brings me down the street of bitterness: diadem of diamonds and sapphires mounted in platinum, with a large cabochon sapphire in the centre and several more adorning the piece. It was already in Ansorena's article, but not her description. What would become of her?"
Queen Ena clearly had a cabochon sapphire tiara, her mother received a cabochon sapphire tiara as a wedding gift. Coincidence? Maybe but the description sounds very similar to the image on Ursula's website, although it appears Ena's piece was an Ansorena piece, that doesnt mean she didn't have it changed by Ansorena.
Oh thank you for the clarification. From what I have read, it seems the tiara disappeared without a trace? Any insight you can share?
Previous Message
Janet, that tiara (which se don’t know how it looked like) was given to Queen Ena by King Alfonso XIII when Infante Don Jaime was born. For this reason I doubt it was made with such jewels.
Previous Message
I don't speak Spanish but I follow the Dinastas board using google translate. There seems to have been some academic journals published in recent weeks about the Spanish royal jewels over the generations which has sparked interest and speculation as to the various pieces and what became of them.
A poster called Lambelle wrote the following on 24 March based on the article, which is based on inventories in Queen Ena's own hand:
"He mentions a piece by Ansorena that brings me down the street of bitterness: diadem of diamonds and sapphires mounted in platinum, with a large cabochon sapphire in the centre and several more adorning the piece. It was already in Ansorena's article, but not her description. What would become of her?"
Queen Ena clearly had a cabochon sapphire tiara, her mother received a cabochon sapphire tiara as a wedding gift. Coincidence? Maybe but the description sounds very similar to the image on Ursula's website, although it appears Ena's piece was an Ansorena piece, that doesnt mean she didn't have it changed by Ansorena.
It is an interesting topic of an til now unkown field, jewellerywise. Very few is known about Julia Hauke, who become the ancestor of so many. Thank you for that! It seems to me there was just one tiara of the Countess of Hartenau. The second one looks to me as the first one without the shell elements.
Previous Message
Thank You Beth! While I haven't been able to find anything about the provenance nor fate of Princess Julia's jewels, I decided to talk about the jewels they gave to their daughters-in-law and what became of them. In addition to the jewels in the portrait above, the Princess was also pictured in this grand diamond floral necklace for a painting:
The eldest son, Prince Louis of Battenberg (later the 1st Marquess of Milford Haven), was married to Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine , a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Prince Alexander gave Princess Victoria a Tiara as a wedding gift , and it seems to be the same one she wore on her wedding day and at the Coronation of King George V in 1911 . The Tiara, along with her Pearl Star Tiara and probably any other jewels she inherited from the Battenbergs, were left in Russia for safekeeping at the start of WWI and were lost during the Russian Revolution.
The second son, Prince Alexander of Battenberg, was the Prince of Bulgaria from 1879 to 1886, and married the actress Johanna Loisinger, who became the Countess von Hartenau. She was pictured wearing two tiaras:
The third son, Prince Henry of Battenberg, was married to Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, who received a Sapphire and Diamond Tiara and Parure from her parents-in-law as a wedding present in 1886. Many of her jewels were lost during a fire at Balmoral, and I suspect this Parure might have been among them. However, Princess Beatrice was able to retain a cluster of diamond roses from Princess Julia which she passed on to her daughter-in-law in 1917. I also suspect that a Sapphire Brooch now in the possession of Infanta Margarita of Spain could have come from Princess Beatrice's Battenberg wedding gifts, but upon discussion with RDavid, there is no documentation to tie the two together. Princess Beatrice was not picturing in any distinctive Battenberg jewels at the Coronations of 1902 and 1911, but was pictured bejewelled at the christenings of her Spanish grandchildren, though the mass of lace doesn't make it easy of identify anything.
The fourth and youngest son was Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg, who married P rincess Anna of Montenegro after the deaths of both parents, but since she was pictured wearing the Battenberg necklace, he must have inherited a decent share of the jewels. Princess Anna probably also received wedding gifts (including the Diamond Aigrette) from Queen Victoria and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (who provided a dowry of one million rubles), as well as her brother-in-law, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. The couple were in financial difficulties following the first world war, and Princess Anna probably sold the jewels between then and her death in 1971.
And thank you Juscha! I agree, it is such a fascinating topic, and despite the Battenberg Family being so well known, it is odd how so little is known about their jewels.
Apologies that, after asking for information, I have not been able to join in for a couple of days. I have had a few very busy days (and didn't even get to read the board) and then, today, was ANZAC Day, a day which is always busy. For many Australians it starts well before dawn so we can do a Dawn Commemoration.