Duchess of Angoulême's Ruby Parure Tiara

Creation: This tiara was made in 1816 by Evrard Bapst and Pierre-Nicholas Menière using gemstones from the French Crown collection, namely a tiara that had belonged to Empress Marie Louise.

Materials: rubies and diamonds

Provenance:

1. Princess Marie Thérèse of France, Duchess of Angoulême; until her exile to the United Kingdom in 1830
2. Queen Marie Amélie of France; as consort of Louis Philippe I, beginning in 1830 until her exile in 1848
3. French State Treasury; during the French Second Republic
4. Empress Eugénie of France; as consort of Napoleon III beginning in 1853 until her exile in 1870
5. French State Treasury; the tiara was kept at Brest, France from 1870 to 1872 along with the rest of the crown jewels and then moved to a vault at the Ministry of Finance, it was displayed at the 1878 Exposition Universelle and at the Musée du Louvre in 1884
6. Unknown Owner; the tiara was sold at auction with the rest of the crown jewels in May 1887 by the French Third Republic
7. Cornelia Craven, Countess of Craven; from her father, Bradley Martin
8. Unknown Owner; sold at auction at Sotheby's in November 1961

Questions:

• Does the tiara currently belong to the Niarchos family?

Links:

• The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor - French Crown Ruby Parure
• Royal Magazin - French Ruby Parure