Editor’s Note
A diamond brooch, originally part of Napoleon’s carriage and seized after the Battle of Waterloo, has sold for £3.37 million at Sotheby’s Geneva—far exceeding its pre-sale estimate. This piece offers a tangible link to a pivotal moment in European history.
A diamond-studded pin taken from Napoleon’s carriage as the defeated emperor fled his final defeat at Waterloo has been sold for around £3.37 million, more than 17 times its highest pre-sale estimate.
The “historically important and highly significant diamond brooch/pendant” was listed in Sotheby’s Royal and Noble Jewels sale in Geneva today, November 12.
The pin, probably worn as a hat badge, was taken from Napoleon’s abandoned carriage after the Battle of Waterloo. A Prussian officer grabbed it and gave it to his ruler, King Friedrich Wilhelm. It stayed in the Hohenzollern family as they became emperors themselves, leading a united Germany until the end of World War I.
The arrival of the Prussian army was a crucial turning point at Waterloo, for some officers the victory was a personal windfall, and one lieutenant left the scene with an amazing Napoleonic jewel.
As a defeated German state ditched its monarchy, the Emperor’s jewels became private property. The hat badge was sold to another private owner.
The piece is of a quality and size to suit imperial dynasties, with nearly 100 mine-cut diamonds surrounding a big central 13.04-carat stone.
Napoleon campaigned in style. Alongside his own luxurious, mobile accommodation he often carried large amounts of money and jewellery as diplomatic gifts.
Genuine personal artefacts from his life are rare and valuable.
Another Napoleon-linked piece in this sale, a green beryl, was bought by a US museum for $1,041,044, surpassing its low estimate by 25 times. A sword he used was sold for $6.5 million in 2007 and earlier this year a major sale of artefacts nearly $10 million was raised in a dedicated Napoleon sale in Paris.
