Christie’s to Offer Gems Owned by Napoleon’s Adoptive Daughter Stephanie de Beauharnais

A collection of sapphires and diamonds once owned by Stephanie de Beauharnais, who was adopted by Napoleon Bonaparte before she married Prince Charles of Baden in 1806, will be offered at a Christie’s live auction in Geneva this 12 May.

This parure, a set of jewels intended to be worn together, includes a tiara, one collier, one pair of earrings, two pendants and brooches, as well as one ring and one bracelet, all of which will be offered as inpidual lots.

Leading the group is the sapphire-and-diamond tiara, which has a presale estimate of between CHF140,000 (about US$150,000) and CHF250,000.

Stephanie de Beauharnais was born in 1789. After her mother died two year later, she joined her aunt, Josephine de Beauharnais, who married Napoleon in 1796, in Versailles and Paris when she was about 7 years old.

One month before her wedding, Stephanie was adopted by Napoleon and became Her Imperial Highness Princess Stephanie Napoleon.

This parure includes a tiara, one collier, one pair of earrings, two pendants and brooches, as well as one ring and one bracelet, all of which will be offered as inpidual lots.

The jewels were given to Stephanie by her cousin Hortense de Beauharnais, who often appeared in paintings with her mother, Empress Josephine, wearing precious belts, according to Christie’s.

After Stephanie’s death in 1860, the sapphire parure, described as “necklace, pendant, earrings, 7 pins and a belt,” was inherited by Stephanie’s second daughter, Josephine, Princess of Hohenzollern Sigmaringen. It seems the belt was remodeled into a bandeau-tiara and a bracelet by Princess Josephine, who died in 1900 at age 83, according to Christie’s.

The sapphires—necklace, bandeau-tiara, earrings, pendants, and bracelet—were left to her eldest son, Léopold (1835-1905). The pieces were joined by another spectacular sapphire jewel, a crown with detachable brooches from Queen Maria da Gloria of Portugal (1819-53) to become a nine-piece collection, according to Christie’s.

Léopold was married to Infanta Antonia (1845-1913), a daughter of Queen Maria da Gloria of Portugal. Their marriage united the two sapphire parures.

The Maria da Gloria sapphire-and-diamond crown is estimated to sell for between CHF170,000 and CHF350,000.

The whole collection, which has a presale estimate of between CHF600,000 and CHF1.1 million, will highlight Christie's magnificent jewels live auction at the Four Season Hotel des Bergues in Geneva on May 12.