Napoleon's Diamond Brooch Smashes Estimate, Sell for $4.4m
November 14, 25
(IDEX Online) - A diamond brooch, seized from Napoleon Bonaparte as he was defeated by the Prussian army in 1815, sold for $4.4m at Sotheby's Geneva - more than 17 times its pre-sale high estimate.
The brooch, which can also be worn as a pendant, features a large oval diamond weighing 13.04 carats, surrounded by nearly 100 old mine-cut diamonds arranged in two concentric rows.
An unnamed collector bought the brooch, which was expected to sell for $150,000 to $250,000,after a bidding battle on Wednesday (12 November) that lasted just under 10 minutes, involving four phone bidders, one online bidder and another in the auction room.
"In his haste to flee Waterloo, where his armies had been overwhelmed by the combined forces of the British and Prussian armies, Napoleon had to abandon some of his carriages when they got stuck in a muddy road a few miles away from the battlefield - including the carriage containing those precious belongings," Sotheby's said.
Three days later the brooch was presented to Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III as a battle trophy.
It remained within the House of Hohenzollern for centuries, and was passed down to emperors of Germany. It has been part of a different private collection for the last few years.
Another Napoleonic treasure, a 132.66-ct green beryl which he is reported to have worn on his coronation mantle in 1804, was bought for $1m by a US museum - also for 17 times its high estimate.
Both items were highlights of the Royal and Noble Sale, which raised a total of $14.3m.