Record sales. A bejeweled brooch belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte and recovered by Prussian soldiers at Waterloo sold on Wednesday for a record 3.79 million euros in Geneva, Sotheby’s auction house announced.
The sale price of this historic jewel, one of the standout items in a week of luxury on the shores of Lake Geneva, far exceeded the expectations of Sotheby’s, which estimated it at between 130,000 and 220,000 euros.
The brooch was one of the personal items the emperor had to leave behind on his flight to the plains of Waterloo (near Brussels, in present-day Belgium) from British and Prussian troops at the end of the famous battle that ended his downfall.
The gem is circular, about 45 mm in diameter, in the center there is a large oval diamond of 13.04 carats, surrounded by almost a hundred old mined diamonds, of various shapes and sizes, arranged in two concentric rows.
A war trophy
This unique piece was made for Napoleon around 1810, “probably to decorate his cocked hat on special occasions”, explains the auction house. It was then presented, among others, to Prussian King Frederick William III as a war trophy on June 21, 1815, just three days after the Battle of Waterloo.
This week is also marked by traditional sales of prestigious watches, such as the Rolex Oyster, one of the first waterproof watches worn by endurance swimmer Mercedes Gleitze (1900-1981), the first Englishman to swim the English Channel.
Estimated at more than 1.1 million euros, it sold for 1.46 million euros.
Another highlight of Sotheby’s sale, “The Glowing Rose,” a 10.08-carat bright pink diamond estimated to be worth about $20 million, was finally withdrawn from the sale late Wednesday. When asked by AFP, Sotheby’s could not be contacted to provide an explanation for this withdrawal.
