The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Celebrating Oktoberfest with Bavarian Royal Jewels

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Image kindly provided by Marina; do not reproduce!

At the end of September and the beginning of October, the citizens of Munich throw an internationally renowned party: the Oktoberfest. The first ever Oktoberfest bash took place on October 12, 1810, when the people of Munich gathered in the fields near the city’s gates to celebrate the royal wedding of King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. They’ve been celebrating ever since, and the festivities have inspired similar celebrations worldwide. (My little hometown even has an Oktoberfest this weekend!)

To celebrate the season, a kind reader, Marina, has shared some of her photographs of Bavarian royal jewels. She recently visited the treasury room at the the Residenz Museum in Munich, and she very generously offered to share some of her sparkling photographs with all of us!

Image kindly provided by Marina; do not reproduce!

A large number of the jewels displayed in the treasury room, including both suites displayed above, belonged to Queen Therese, whose wedding launched the Oktoberfest tradition.

Image kindly provided by Marina; do not reproduce!

This massive diadem is part of the majestic Bavarian Ruby and Spinel Parure. The suite was made for Queen Therese using gold set with diamonds, rubies, and spinels.

Image kindly provided by Marina; do not reproduce!

The set includes five major pieces: the diadem, a large necklace, a pair of earrings, and two matching bracelets. The elaborate necklace and earrings are pictured above.

Image kindly provided by Marina; do not reproduce!

The gorgeous bracelets from the set rest nearby. It’s a little difficult to imagine what this set (especially the tiara) looks like when it’s worn, so be sure to stop by our previous post on the suite to see a picture of Crown Princess Antonia of Bavaria wearing the parure.

Image kindly provided by Marina; do not reproduce!

Queen Therese loved pearls, and her jewelry collection included a pearl and diamond tiara with a familiar design. This is the Bavarian Lover’s Knot Tiara, which shares significant similarities with the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara and its copy, Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara.

Image kindly provided by Marina; do not reproduce!
The tiara was made for Queen Therese in 1825, the year she became queen, by Caspar Rieländer. The tiara features an accompanying pair of diamond and pearl girandole earrings (pictured above) and a classic single-stranded pearl necklace.
Image kindly provided by Marina; do not reproduce!

Queen Therese later gave the tiara to her daughter-in-law, Duchess Amalia of Oldenburg. Amalia was married to Therese’s second son, Otto, who was elected King of Greece in 1832. King Otto I and Queen Amalia were deposed three decades later, and the tiara returned home with Amalia to Bavaria, where it has resided ever since.

Image kindly provided by Marina; do not reproduce!

The display also includes an absolutely massive diamond and pearl stomacher (or devant de corsage).

Image kindly provided by Marina; do not reproduce!

And finally, Marina has offered us a glimpse of two of Bavaria’s gorgeous crown jewels. At the top of the image, sitting on the cushion, is the Crown of Bavaria, made in the first decade of the nineteenth century for King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. The crown, which was displayed at important ceremonies but never actually worn, is set with diamonds, pearls, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires.

Below the Crown of Bavaria sits the Crown of the Queens of Bavaria, which was made for King Maximilian I Joseph’s second wife, Queen Caroline. The crown is richly decorated with diamonds and pearls.

Please join me in extending a huge round of thanks and applause to Marina for sharing her beautiful photographs with all of us!

Jewels of The Splendour of Power (Part 3)

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Collar of the Order of the Dannebrog (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Today, we’ve got a treat for you: the final post in our series on the current jewelry exhibition at Koldinghus in Denmark! This entire set of posts would not have been remotely possible without the generosity of Alberta, one of our readers who attended the exhibition and kindly offered to share her photos with us.

For our last peek inside the exhibition, we’ve got a series of bejeweled items that really reinforce its theme: The Splendour of Power. (And if you missed post one or post two, don’t forget to go check those out, too!)

Sword of King Christian IV (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Royal women aren’t the only ones throughout history who decorated their possessions with gems and jewels to reflect their status. Here, note the embellished hilt of this sword, which belonged to King Christian IV (1577-1648).

Collar of the Order of the Elephant (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

The grandest ornaments worn today by male royals are generally chivalric orders, especially the ones that have magnificent collars as part of their insignia. The highest-ranking royals, both male and female, in Denmark are often seen at the annual New Year’s Levee wearing the collar of the Order of the Elephant, the nation’s highest order of chivalry. The collar features alternating elephants and castles in its design.

Collar of the Order of the Dannebrog (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Denmark’s second-highest order of chivalry, the Order of the Dannebrog, also includes a collar in its insignia. This collar features alternating Dannebrog crosses with two royal cyphers: that of King Valdemar II (1170-1241) and that of King Christian V (1646-1699).

Collar, Copenhagen Goldsmith Guild (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

This elaborate collar isn’t part of an order of chivalry: it comes from Copenhagen’s Goldsmith Guild.

Chamberlain Key (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Members of the royal household also have objects of power in their possession. This is one of the keys of a chamberlain of Queen Margrethe II.

Royal Family Order of King Frederik IX (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Like Britain, Norway, and Sweden, the royal women of Denmark wear Royal Family Orders. This is the badge of the Royal Family Order of King Frederik IX, which belongs to his daughter, Queen Margrethe II. The Koldinghus exhibition revealed that the diamond frame of this badge is much older; it originally held a different (now lost) portrait and came from the collection of Empress Amelie of Brazil.

The diamond frame was previously used by Queen Lovisa (holding a portrait of her husband, King Frederik VIII), Queen Alexandrine (holding a portrait of her husband, King Christian X), and Queen Ingrid (holding this portrait of her husband, King Frederik IX). Queen Margrethe began using the badge at the start of her reign, and a new badge with a new portrait of King Frederik IX was made for Queen Ingrid.

Royal Family Orders of Queen Margrethe II (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

These two badges of the Royal Family Order of Queen Margrethe II belong to her daughters-in-law. The top badge is worn by Crown Princess Mary, while the bottom badge is worn by Princess Marie. Both of the frames were newly commissioned for the princesses.

Queen Christina’s Signet Ring (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Another accessory that functions as a symbol of power is the signet ring. This one belonged to Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689), one of the most fascinating and educated women of her time.

Queen Christina’s Jewels (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

The exhibition also includes other bejeweled trinkets that belonged to Queen Christina.

Incredible thanks to Alberta for her generosity in sharing these images with all of us!

Jewels of The Splendour of Power (Part 2)

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Queen Lovisa’s Pearl Necklace (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Last week, a generous reader, Alberta, shared a set of photographs that allowed us to marvel at the tiaras currently on display in The Splendour of Power, an exhibition at Koldinghus in Denmark. This week, our second post on the exhibition features additional Scandinavian royal jewels on display.

Queen Caroline Matilda’s Pearls and  (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

This luminous necklace of pearls belonged to Queen Caroline Matilda (1751-1775), the consort (and first cousin) of King Christian VII and sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. (You may have seen her rather tragic life story depicted in the 2012 film A Royal Affair.) They are displayed alongside a pair of her earrings, which feature gem-set bows with a trio of pendant drops.

Crown Princess Mary’s Earrings and Queen Alexandrine’s Meander Bracelet (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

In contrast, the exhibition also includes a pair of diamond-studded gold Marianne Dulong earrings from Crown Princess Mary’s collection. They are displayed alongside the stunning diamond meander bracelet that belonged to Queen Alexandrine. It’s now worn by Countess Sussie of Rosenborg.

Princess Benedikte’s Necklace and Pendant (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

Princess Benedikte loaned another piece from Queen Alexandrine’s collection: her portion of Alexandrine’s flexible diamond sautoir. The necklace is displayed with Benedikte’s diamond floral pendant. Both pieces were wedding gifts from her parents.

Princess Anne of Orange’s Diamond Riviere (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

One of the simplest — yet most important and glittering — heirloom jewels on display is the diamond riviere that belonged to Princess Anne (1709-1759), who was Princess Royal as the daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Princess of Orange as the wife of Willem IV. The necklace came to Scandinavia with her great-great-granddaughter, Louise (1828-1871), who married King Carl XV of Sweden in 1850. Their daughter, Queen Lovisa (1851-1926), was the consort of King Frederik VIII.

Queen Lovisa’s Pearl Necklace (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

The diamond riviere isn’t the only important jewels from Lovisa’s collection on display. One of the grandest non-tiara items on display is the pearl and diamond necklace that is grouped with the family’s married parure of pearl jewels. The necklace was presented to Queen Lovisa by Isma’il Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt, as a wedding present in 1869. The piece originally had two more pear-shaped pearl pendants; those were removed and remodeled as earrings. The necklace (and the rest of Lovisa’s diamond and pearl jewels) are now in trust and pass from monarch to monarch.

Queen Dorothea’s Jewel (Image kindly shared by Alberta; do not reproduce!)

This elaborate jewel was given in 1557 by Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg (1511-1571), the consort of King Christian III, to the city of Copenhagen. The jewel was originally used as a cloak clasp.

Endless thanks to Alberta for sharing her experience and photographs with all of us! Stay tuned next week for the final installment in our series on this exhibition.