Princess of Prussia

A Gold and Sapphire Locket of Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, before 1878

€ 11,890.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

A Gold and Sapphire Locket of Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, before 1878

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

Few jewels willingly reveal their history; too often, the passage of time has blurred names, faded stories. As art historians, it is our task to reconstruct the original meaning of a piece in historical detective work. The present locket, too, found its way to us without any context – but from the monogram and research in historical photographs, part of its history was revealed to us: The precious locket with its sapphire and diamond setting was once owned by Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia (1857-1895). Elisabeth Anna of Prussia was a grandniece of Kaiser Wilhelm I. A photograph of the young princess, taken in Heinrich Graf's studio on Berlin's Friedrichstrasse, shows her in a light-coloured dress with her hair pinned up. She is wearing the locket shown here on a black velvet ribbon around her neck. Comparisons with other portraits of the princess and the fashion of her hairstyle and dress suggest that the photo was taken before her wedding in 1878. This dating is supported by the monogram "E" on the back of the locket. It bears the crown which was often used for decorative monograms of Prussian princes and princesses. In 1878, however, Elisabeth Anna became the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Oldenburg by marriage to Friedrich August of Oldenburg. She now wore the crown of Archduchess. In photographs of the young couple published shortly after the wedding, she is already wearing a new hairstyle, now with forehead fringe, as became characteristic of the fashion of the very late 1870s and 1880s. The photograph in which she is wearing the locket, however, shows the princess still without forehead fringe. Also, unlike resplendent all-diamond jewelry, a gold locket would have been wearable by a young, unmarried woman. The photo of the princess, which can be found inside the locket today, probably dates from the time after the wedding. In all likelihood, it was inserted posthumously. During her lifetime, Elisabeth Anna will probably have kept a photo of her family, her husband or later her children in the jewelry. She died young, as early as 1895; presumably the photograph was inserted into the now heirloom as a memento after her death. The valuable piece of jewellery is in excellent condition. We were able to discover it in Bremen. We do not know where it spent the last century, but we do know where it spent the first years of its existence: on the neck of a Prussian princess.

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In the 19th century, people cultivated a distinct culture of remembrance, which was also reflected in jewellery. People exchanged locks of hair, for example, which they carried with them in the form of jewellery, and attributed sentimental and romantic meanings to certain gemstones and motifs. Around 1870, the locket in particular became a fashion phenomenon, as it could be used to safely store photos, locks of hair and letters. As a result, numerous photo lockets were created in a wide variety of designs.

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Size & Details

Princess of Prussia

€ 11,890.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trader organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can begin to find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within 30 days and we will refund the full purchase price.

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Princess of Prussia

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