Year :
|
c.1907 |
Material :
|
Platinum,Diamond |
Size :
|
H60,W190,D180mm |
Collection :
|
Private Collection |
Provenance |
Cartier |
|
<Description>
Platinum mille-grain and diamond tiara composed of twin olive branches with a pear shaped diamond ganging from point at which they meet in the centre. Signed Cartier. Paris-Londres, 1907.
<Commentary>
The neo-classical design of this Belle Epoque tiara was not only highly fashionable, but particularly appropriate for Princess Marie Bonaparte (1882-1962) for it evoked the tiaras worn by the women of that family at the time of Napoleon’s coronation of 1804. They can be seen in J. L. David’s magnificent painting of that event and which is now in the Louvre. As if to demonstrate her Bonaparte ancestry, Princess Marie wore her wreath of diamond olive leaves low on the forehead, as did the Empress Josephine and her sisters-in-law. Following her marriage with Prince George, son of King George I of Greece, and his wife Queen Olga, niece of the Tsar Alexander II of Russia, Princess Marie was connected to all the royal families of Europe and, invited to all the important evens of twentieth century history, would have had many occasions to wear this magnificent tiara. Cartier was so proud of it that it was placed in the centre of the display of the jewellery commissioned for Princess Marie’s wedding in 1907, and photographed for publication in the press. The rest of her trousseau - at least 40 dresses, her hats, her shoes, her night gowns and lingerie - was exhibited in a ball specially rented for the purpose. Although some criticised the display as ostentatious, Princess Marie defended it in her autobiography, A La Memoire des Disparus (1958), explaining that she wanted to impress the people of Athens, and that she wanted to show how well her youthful beauty could be set off by Parisian fashion and luxury, and her happiness in her marriage to Prince George - a Viking with Greek culture. He had the royal rank and she had not only her Bonaparte blood, but the large fortune inherited from her mother, Marie Felix Blanc (1859-1882), daughter of Francois Blanc, king of the casinos of Monte Carlo, Deauville, Hombourg and Baden Baden. Marie Felix, who married Prince Roland Bonaparte (1858-192), grandson of Prince Lucien Bonaparte (1775-1840), brother of Napoleon I, died in childbirth, leaving all her money to Princess Marie. In addition to her wealth princess Marie had brains and in 1925 went to Vienna where she qualified as a psychiatrist under Sigmund Freud.
<Significance>
Always regarded as a symbol of peace and of prosperity, the olive branch had a special significance for the bride of a Prince of Greece, destined to live in Athens. It was also the emblem of the goddess Athena, who had created it, and whose shrine was the Parthenon on the Acropolis. Thus Marie Bonaparte’s tiara alluded to the goddess of power and wisdom who gave the city named after her strength, prosperity and the arts and sciences which brought fame to her people.
Diana Scarisbrick |
