Thursday 18 April 2013

Bracelets of a Restored Princess


The two bracelets belonged to Marie-Thérèse Charlotte de France who was the only surviving child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. Originally, the bracelets were a part of a larger set consisting of coronet (with an eagle at the top), a tiara, a comb, a girandole earrings and a belt buckle!
This set was one of the only surviving pieces of the French crown jewels from the collection originally started by Francois I in 1530. The majority of the remaining crown jewels had disappeared during the revolution - they were probably broken down and sold.
Marie-Thérèse wore these on her wedding day. When Napoleon Bonaparte's empire collapsed and the Bourbon dynasty was restored the jewels became the property of the Bourbon princess. She was to be the last royalty of France to wear them - after the second revolution, the bracelets managed to survive and is now on display at the Louvre.

1 comment:

  1. I'm looking at your blog again and I'm telling you…. You need to make this your career! You are a wonderful researcher and writer!

    ReplyDelete