Duchess of Angoulême's Emerald Tiara

Creation: This tiara was created in 1819-1820 by Evrard and Frederic Bapst using stones from the French Crown collection.

Materials: 40 emeralds set in gold and 1,031 diamonds set in silver

Provenance:

1. Princess Marie Thérèse of France, Duchess of Angoulême; until her exile to the United Kingdom in 1830 
2. Queen Marie Amélie of France; as consort of Louis Philippe I beginning in 1830 until her exile in 1848
3. French State Treasury; during the French Second Republic 
4. Empress Eugénie of France; as consort of Napoleon III beginning in 1853 until her exile in 1870
5. French State Treasury; the tiara was kept at Brest, France from 1870 to 1872 along with the rest of the crown jewels and then moved to a vault at the Ministry of Finance, it was displayed at the 1878 Exposition Universelle and at the Musée du Louvre in 1884
6. Unknown Owner; the tiara was sold at auction with the rest of the crown jewels in May 1887 by the French Third Republic, it remained in Britain where it resurfaced in 1982 when it was displayed at the Victoria and Museum until 2002
7. Musée du Louvre; bought by the museum in 2002 from the unknown British owner who had decided to sell the tiara after allowing it to be displayed in the V&A for 20 years

Questions:

• Who owned the tiara prior to it being bought by the Louvre in 2002?

Links:

• Louvre Museum - Tiara of the Duchess of Angoulême
• The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor - Duchess of Angoulême's Emerald Tiara
• Artemisia's Royal Jewels - Duchess of Angouleme's Emerald Tiara
• Tiaras & Crowns - The Tiara of Maria-Therese

Photos: Louvre