A diamond brooch belonging to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, lost after the French army’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, sold for more than 3.5 million Swiss francs ($4.4 million), according to the Sotheby’s auction house website.
At an auction in Geneva, the brooch fetched 14 times its estimated value. The winning bid was made by telephone, and it was the first time the brooch had been offered at auction.
The brooch’s diameter is approximately 4.5 cm, the main oval diamond weighs 13.04 carats, and the piece is also adorned with 100 antique-cut diamonds.
The decoration was made for Emperor Napoleon I around 1810, presumably to adorn his cocked hat on special occasions. The Prussian army found the brooch among Napoleon’s belongings after the Battle of Waterloo, abandoned by him as he fled. Presumably, the emperor intended to decorate his hat with it in the event of victory.
The brooch was given to King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. Until recently, it was in a private collection.
The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, was the decisive battle between Napoleon I’s army and the forces of the anti-French coalition (Austria, England, Prussia, Russia, and other countries). On June 20, 1815, Napoleon returned to Paris and signed his final abdication.
