The “Beau Sancy” – A diamond with a royal history

On Tuesday 28 February 2012, the famous auction house Sotheby’s announced it will auction one of the world’s most famous gems: the “Beau Sancy”, a 35-carat pear-shaped diamond once worn by Maria de’Medici at her coronation in 1610.

The diamond witnessed some 400 years of royal history, being passed between different royal families and many generations. Reason enough to take a closer look at the four centuries of royal romance, misfortune and politics throughout Europe.

The story of the Beau Sancy diamond started in the late 16th century. The diamond was bought by Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy in 1570. He gave his name to two magnificent diamonds: the “Grand Sancy” (or simply “Sancy”), a pale yellow diamond of 55 carats, sold to James I of England in 1604, and the “Beau Sancy”, a 35 carat diamond which was sold to Henri IV of France, as a gift to his wife, Maria de’Medici, later that same year.

The Grand Sancy, like his smaller sibling, made its way through royal history. It was sold by James II of England to Cardinal Mazarin during his exile in France. Cardinal Mazarin bequeathed the gem to the French King, and it remained in the royal vaults until it was stolen during the French revolution. It resurfaced a few times, being bought in the early 19th century by a Russian nobleman, who resold it in the second half of that century to an Indian merchant, who again sold it. It is unknown who owned the Grand Sancy after the Indian merchant. The diamond appeared at the Paris Exposition in 1867, carrying a pricetag of 1 million francs. Then the gem disappeared again, until it was bought in 1906 by William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor. The Astor family remained in possession of the diamond until the fourth Viscount Astor sold it to the Louvre in 1978.

The history of the Beau Sancy, however, is even more impressive. The gem was bought by Henri IV of France as a gift to his wife, Maria de’Medici, who had long wanted the diamond. She had it placed on top of her crown for her coronation on 13 May 1610, the day before her husband was assassinated. The Queen had to flee France afterwards and sought shelter in the Netherlands, where she eventually had to sell all her jewellery to relieve her debts.

The Beau Sancy was acquired by Prince Frederick Hendrick of Orange-Nassau (1584-1647), in 1641. In the same year the diamond was used to seal the arrangement of the wedding of Frederick Hendrick’s son, William, later William II of Orange Nassau (1631-1660), to Mary Stuart, daughter of Charles I of England.

After the death of her husband, Mary Stuart returned to England in order to support her brother Charles II in his fight for the throne. She had to pawn the Beau Sancy in 1662 to settle her debts. The diamond came back into the possession of the House of Orange-Nassau in 1677, following the wedding of  William III of Orange-Nassau (1650-1702) to Mary II Stuart, daughter of James II. In 1689, the couple ascended the throne of England. The Beau Sancy became part of the English royal jewellery collection, but returned to the Netherlands upon the death of William III in 1702.

The death of William III caused a succession dispute in the Netherlands. The English throne was inherited by Mary’s sister, Anne, but there were no direct heirs for the Dutch lordships and the principality of Orange. According to his will, William III left  his titles to John William Friso, an agnatic relative of the Princes of Orange, as well as a descendant of William the Silent through a female line. His rights to that inheritance were disputed by Prussian King Frederick I, also a descendant of William the Silent but through a more senior cognatic line. The dispute was ended with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The Beau Sancy, as part of the deal, and went to the Prussian royal family.

The Beau Sancy has been in the hands of the Prussian royal family, the House of Hohenzollern, since 1713, and it was the largest gemstone in their collection. King Frederick I used it in the new royal crown of Prussia, but it also adorned the costume of many royal Prussian brides. The Hohenzolllern family later became the ruling family of Imperial Germany. Passing down from one generation to the next, it was part of the Imperial jewellery collection left behind in the Imperial palace in Berlin, when the German Emperor went into exile in 1918. After World War II, the German Imperial jewels were found by the British troops in a bricked up vault. They were returned to the Prussian Imperial family, and remained in their possession until now.

The auction house Sotheby’s has announced that the current owner, Prince Georg Friedrich (1976-), head of the Imperial House of Hohenzollern, has decided to sell the diamond. It will be auctioned on 15 May 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland. It is possible, then, that the Beau Sancy’s impressive royal connection ends here.

Pictures

Beau Sancy Collage, by Kelly Lacroix, used with permission.
Detail of Maria de’Medici in coronation robes, by Frans II Pourbus the Younger, 1610.
William III of England (1650-1720), by Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1680s.
Portrait of Friedrich I of Prussia (1657-1713), by Friedrich Wilhelm Weidemann, 1701.

By Aimee | Published in: Blog, European History, Jewellery | Tags: Beau Sancy, Charles II, Frederick I, Maria de'Medici, Mary II Stuart, William III