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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Necklace

ca. 1806 (made), 1820s (alteration)
Artist/Maker
Nitot & Fils (makers)
Place Of Origin
France (made)

This necklace and earrings are part of a larger set or parure of jewellery. It is believed that the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his consort Joséphine gave them to their adopted daughter, Stéphanie de Beauharnais, on her arranged marriage to the heir of the Grand Duke of Baden in 1806. Nitot & Fils, the principal jewellers to Napoleon and Joséphine, probably made it. The large stones and the simplicity of design are typical of jewellery favoured at the court of Napoleon. The emerald drops at the back of the necklace can be detached and worn as earrings. They are later in date.


object details
Categories
Jewellery
Royalty
SCRAN
Europeana Fashion Project
Object Type
Necklace
Materials and Techniques
Emeralds and diamonds set in gold and silver
Emeralds
Gold
Silver
Diamonds
Brief Description
Necklace, faceted table-cut emeralds in borders of brilliant-cut diamonds, Nitot & Fils, France, about 1806
Physical Description
Necklace, faceted table-cut emeralds in borders of brilliant-cut diamonds; briolette emerald drops; open-set in gold and silver. Extra drops were added to the back of the necklace in the 1820s.
Dimensions
  • Length: 41cm
  • Depth: 6cm
  • Height: 20.5cm
  • Width: 20cm
  • Average (segment) depth: 0.9cm
Credit line
Given by Countess Margharita Tagliavia
Object history
Part of a parure presented by Napoleon to his adopted daughter Stephanie de Beauharnais (1789-1860), a connection of the Empress Joséphine, on her marriage to the Grand Duke of Baden's heir in 1806. Probably made by Nitot. The marriage was arranged to consolidate the Confederacy of the Rhine.
Summary
This necklace and earrings are part of a larger set or parure of jewellery. It is believed that the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his consort Joséphine gave them to their adopted daughter, Stéphanie de Beauharnais, on her arranged marriage to the heir of the Grand Duke of Baden in 1806. Nitot & Fils, the principal jewellers to Napoleon and Joséphine, probably made it. The large stones and the simplicity of design are typical of jewellery favoured at the court of Napoleon. The emerald drops at the back of the necklace can be detached and worn as earrings. They are later in date.
Bibliographic References
  • Shirley Bury Jewellery Gallery Summary Catalogue (V&A, 1982), Case 17, Board F, No.2, p. 107.
  • Martin Chapman, 'Jewellery and the French Revolution' in V&A Album, Spring 1989, pp. 47-52.
  • 'Metalwork Acquisitions at the V&A 1978-88', Burlington Magazine, Vol. 131, no. 1034, (May, 1989), item XIV, p. 389.
  • Diana Scarisbrick, Chaumet: Master Jewellers since 1780 (Paris, 1995), pp. 40-1.
  • Clare Philips, Jewelry From Antiquity to the Present (London, 1996) p. 128.
  • Clare Philips, Jewels and Jewellery (V&A, 2000), pp. 68-9.
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession Number
M.3-1979

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record createdFebruary 11, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O74190/necklace-nitot--fils/