SOTHEBY'S 
By Press Release Geneva
For Immediate Release
Geneva | +41 22 908 48 14 | Marie-Beatrice Morin | marie-beatrice.morin@sothebys.com
London | +44 (0)20 7293 6000 | Matthew Weigman | matthew.weigman@sothebys.com
Simon Warren | simon.warren@sothebys.com| Kelly Signorelli-Chaplin | kelly.schaplin@sothebys.com
Sotheby's To Auction
A diamond of supreme historical importance
THE BEAU SANCY
-- Passed down through four royal families,
Worn by Marie de Medici in her crown at her coronation as Queen Consort of Henri IV in 1610,
this celebrated gem is testament to over
400 years of European history -
The Beau Sancy, A modified pear double rose cut diamond
weighing 34.98 carats (est. $2-4 million)
28 February 2012 - SOTHEBY'S GENEVA is delighted to announce
that its sale of Magnificent Jewelsand Noble Jewels on 15 May
2012 will be led by the Beau Sancy, one of the most important
historic diamonds ever to come to auction. Passed down
through the Royal Families of France, England, Prussia and
the House of Orange, the celebrated diamond has been the
privileged witness of 400 years of European history. Weighing
34.98 carats, the modified pear double rose cut diamond comes
to the market with an estimate of $2-4 million*.
Commenting on the forthcoming sale of the Beau Sancy, David
Bennett, Chairman of Sotheby's Jewellery Department in Europe
and the Middle East and Co-Chairman of Sotheby's Switzerland
said: "The Beau Sancy is one of the most fascinating and
romantic gems ever to appear at auction and it is an immense
privilege for Sotheby's to handle the sale".
Acquired by Nicolas de Harlay, Lord of Sancy (1546-1629), in
Constantinople in the mid to late 1500's, the Beau Sancy is
most likely to have originated from the mines in south-
central India near the city of Golconda, the source of
history's best-known diamonds, including the Hope, the
Koh-i-Noor and the Regent. In 1604, the Beau Sancy was bought
for 75 000 livres (25 000 écus) by Henri IV and gifted to his
wife, Marie de Medici. The Queen of France had long desired
the stone, particularly after learning that de Sancy had sold
a larger stone, today known as the "Sancy", to King James I
of England1. Testament to the
importance her Majesty placed on the diamond, the Beau Sancy
was mounted atop the crown she wore at her coronation in
1610, as shown in a magnificent portrait by Frans II Pourbus,
the Younger, now
in the Louvre (illustrated right and p.3).
Marie de Medici in coronation dress, Frans II Pourbus the Younger, 1610
© RMN-GP (Musée du Louvre) / Thierry Le Mage
1 The history of the "Sancy" (or "Grand Sancy") and the "Beau Sancy" have long been intertwined. The Sancy - a 55.23 carat diamond - is now part of the Louvre Collection.
2
Detail of Marie de Medici's coronation crown
Following Henri IV's assassination by Ravaillac, the Queen
was exiled in disgrace and escaped to the Netherlands.
Heavily in debt, her possessions were sold and the Beau Sancy
was acquired by Prince Frederick Hendrick of Orange-Nassau
(1584-1647) for 80
000 florins - the most important expenditure in the state's
budget in 1641. In the same year, in an attempt to reinforce
the alliances of the United Provinces of Holland with the
great European powers,
the diamond was used to seal the arrangement of the wedding
of
Frederick Hendrick's son, Willem, later Willem II of Orange
Nassau (1631-1660), to Mary Stuart, daughter of
Charles I of England and Henriette-Marie of France, and
grand-daughter of Marie de Medici.
After the death of her husband, Mary Stuart embarked for
England with her jewels in order to support her brother
Charles II in his fight for the throne. In 1662, the Beau
Sancy was pawned to settle her debts and it was only in 1677,
on the occasion of the wedding of Willem III of Orange-Nassau
(1650-1702) to Mary II Stuart, daughter of the King of
England James II, that the diamond reentered the Treasure of
the House of Orange-Nassau. In 1689, the couple ascended the
throne of England and thus the Beau Sancy now joined the
collection of the Queen of England. However, as the monarchs
were childless at their death, the diamond went back to the
House of Orange-Nassau.
In 1702, following the settlement of a dispute between the
heirs to the House of Orange, Friedrich I who had just been
crowned the first King of Prussia, gave up the jewels of his
legacy to obtain the Beau Sancy. The symbolic value and the
prestige of the celebrated gem were such that the King made
it the principal ornament of the new royal crown of Prussia
and associated it with the first order of Prussia, the Order
of the Black Eagle.
The largest gemstone within the House of Prussia's
collection, the Beau Sancy passed down to each successive
generation until today. Worn by the women of the family on
important royal occasions, the diamond adorned the costume of
each successive bride on the day of her princely wedding,
much like it had in the past. When the last German Emperor
and King of Prussia fled to exile in Holland, in November
1918, the crown jewels remained at the Kaiser's palace in
Berlin. At the end of World War II, the collection was
transferred to a bricked-up crypt for safe keeping in
Bückeburg, where it was later found by British troops and
returned to the estate of the House of Prussia.
3
After the war, the diamond was subsequently passed down to
the eldest son of the Kaiser, Kronprinz Wilhelm (1882-1951)
and his son, Prince Louis Ferdinand (1907-1994). After the
death of Prince Louis Ferdinand, the diamond was inherited as
part of the estate by his grandson, Georg Friedrich (1976-),
Prince of Prussia and current head of the Royal House of
Prussia.
The Beau Sancy has been shown publicly only four times in the
last 50 years: first in 1972, alongside the
Grand Sancy in Helsinki, in 1985, in Hamburg at the Schmuck
aus dem Hause Hohenzollern exhibition, in
2001, in Paris again alongside the Grand Sancy at the Musée
National d'Histoire Naturelle, and finally in
2004, in Munich at the Schatzhäuser Deutschands exhibition.
Notes to editors:
The Beau Sancy will be showcased in an international tour before its auction in Geneva on 15 May 2012.
Public exhibition:
Hong Kong 30 March - 2 April 2012
New York 14-16 April 2012
Rome 19 April 2012
Paris 24-25 April 2012
London 27-30 April 2012
Zurich 2-3 May 2012
Geneva 11-15 May 2012
ALL PRESS RELEASES ARE PUBLISHED ON WWW.SOTHEBYS.COMIMAGES ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
* Pre-sale estimates do not include buyer's premium
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