CHRISTIE'S

THE

Diamond

103

The Infanta Margarita Teresa Las Meninas, by Diego Velazquez, 1656

104

THE W ITTELS BAC H DI AMO ND t 1

The historic Wittelsbach weighs 35.56 carats, making it one cif the largest recorded fa 11 cy blue diamo11ds.

The first record of the Wittelsbach dates from 1664.

Before the discovery of the Jagersfontein and Premier

mines in South Mrica, India remained the sole source

of dark blue diamonds. This raises an interesting

question. It has always been assumed that the Kollur

mines in the vicinity of Golconda, in the State of

Hyderabad was the only location in India to yield dark

blue diamonds, the most famoLls being the Hope

diamond, discovered in the middle of the 17th century.

But there was another area in which they were found.

The fourth Mughal Emperor, Jahangir (1569-1627)

was a somewhat different character from his father,

Akbar the Great; he loved ladies and jewels . The

Imperial Chronicles recorded the acquisition or gift of

diamond mines by Jahangir, in the State of Bihar,

north east India. The Emperor stated in his memoirs

that "diamonds from this place are of a variety and

beauty above all other kinds of diamonds and are

greatly appreciated by jewellers". And special mention

was made of a large dark blue piece of diamond which,

unlike today, was not considered to be of great value in

comparison with a colourless gem. Could this be the

rough which yielded the Wittelsbach? Mughal Emperor Jahangir (1569-1627)

Side view

Pavilion

Some authorities have suggested that a diamond of such

a rare colour must have once formed part of the famous

"French Blue" diamond, weighing 112'12 old carats

which Tavernier bought in India and later sold to Louis

XIV of France. The principal gem cut from it is now

recognised as being the Hope, which weighs 45.52

carats, so that technical reasons alone preclude the

possibility of the Wittelsbach being fashioned from the

same piece of rough. The sole possibility of a

connection between the Wittelsbach and the Hope lies

in Tavernier's "French Blue" having been merely a piece

of a much larger piece of rough that at some time had

been split into two - a most unlikely event.

The Wittelsbach's history has for the most part been

uneventful, passing from one royal owner to another,

some of whose fortunes alternated behveen prosperity

and penury. The gem was given by Philip IV of Spain

to his daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa upon the

Crown

occasion of her betrothal to the Emperor Leopold I of

Austria in 1664. (Any chance of tracing the earlier

history of the Wittelsbach was lost when the Madrid

archives were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War of

193 6- 1939.)

In common with many marriages at the time there was

a strong political element involved. Leopold I was

Margarita Teresa's maternal uncle & paternal cousin.

Despite a difference in age they were very happy and she

bore him four children.

Margarita Teresa is depicted in the Spanish painter

Diego VeIazquez' masterpiece 'Las Meninas' (The Maids

of Honour, 1656). As court painter he was

commissioned to paint several portraits of the Infanta,

these paintings of her were sent to Leopold I to keep

him appraised of how his fiancee looked in her teenage

years.

105

Her j ewels passed on to her husband, and are listed in a

document, dated 23 M arch 1673 , which reads:

"Diamond ornament .... consisting of ..... a brooch with

a large blue diamond in the centre, to which belongs a

bow-shaped jewel set with rubies".

Leopold gave all the j ewellery he had inherited from the

Infanta to his third wife , the Empress Eleonore

M agdalena, daughter of the Elector Palatine. The

Empress outlived her husband, dying in 1720. Before

then she had arranged to bequeath the blue diamond to

her grand-daughter, the Archduchess M aria Amalia,

daughter of the Emperor Joseph I.

In 1722 the Archduchess married the Bavarian Crown

Prince Charles Albert. H enceforth the blue diamond

became the "family diamond" of the ruling house of

Bavaria, the Wittelsbachs. It remained so until the

abdication of Louis III , the las t King of Bavaria, in 1918.

23 March 1673

In the aftermath of the First World War, Bavaria became

a republic and the possessions of the former House of

Wittelsbach were placed under the control of an

equalization fund. The members of the Royal Family

received an indemniry which was to prove worthless in

the ensuing period of rampant inflation; they were soon

left impoverished.

Consequently the State agreed that certain Crown

Jewels of the House of Wittelsbach should be sold to

all eviate the hardship experienced by the descendants of

the last king.

The honour of auctioning the Bavarian C rown Jewels

fel l to C hristie's in London who announced that the sale

would take place in December 1931 and that the

contents would include 'a famous Blue Diam ond' .

Public interest was remarkable; the sale comprised

thirteen lots and lasted for over two hours.

"Diamond ornament .. .. consisting of . .. .. a brooch

with a large blue diamond in the centre) to which belongs a

bow-shaped jewel set with rubies" .

107

OATALOGUE

OF THE

BAVARIAN CROWN JEWELS THE PROPERTY OF

THE ROYAL HOUSE OF WITTELSBACH COMPRISING

Magnificent Brilliants and Emeralds

ALSO

FINE JEWELS THE PROPERTY OF

MRS. R. G. GOLDBERG Deceased; Late of Grosvenol' House, Park Lane

(Sold InJ Order of the E'zecutIWB) , MRS. ROPER-LUMLEY-HOLLAND

Of Lynsted Park, Kent

AND OTHERS

WlHCH

'l!Ul!l! be SoIl) b12 nnctioll b12

MESSRS. CHRISTIE. MANSON & WOODS CL. HANNRN, C.RE., COROON HANNRN, T . M. M'Kl!.NNA,

CAP'!'. SIR HENRY FLOVO, BART. , ALEC MARTIN AND c. BROCKLEHVRST)

AT THEIR GREAT ROOMS

8 KING STREET, ST. JAlI1ES'S SQUARE LONDON

On MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1931 AT ONE O' CLOCK PRECISELY

May be viewed Thursday and Friday preceding, and Catalognes had, at Messrs. CnRIsTIE, M,,""80:>' AND WOODS' Offices, 8 King

Street, St. Jallwis Sq"""', LDndon, S. W .l TELEPHONB: 'WHITEHALL 5056 (pnry A.TE EXCHANGE).

'I"ELEGRAM6: CURISTIABT, P1CCY, LONDON.

Joseph Komkommer examining the Wittelsbach in 1962

In January 1962 Mr Komkommer received a telephone

call asking him to look at an old-mine cut diamond

with a view to its re-cutting. When he opened the

envelope he received a shock, a dark blue diamond is

among the rarest and most precious gems.

He at once recognised that the diamond was one of

historical significance and that it would be sacrilegious

to re-cut it. With the assistance of his son Jacques, he

identified the gem as the 'lost' blue diamond formally

owned by the House ofWittelsbach. Mr Komkommer

thereupon formed a consortium of diamond buyers

from Belgium and the USA which purchased the

diamond, then valued at £180,000. The vendors were

the trustees of an estate whose identity remained

undisclosed. Finally, the Wittelsbach was acquired by

the present owner in 1964.

Collectors worldwide now have the unique opportunity

to acquire a truly amazing diamond which apart from

its captivating colour and size has an unparalleled

history of over 300 years.

Loyd Balfouy read Modern Languages at Magdalen College

OxJoyd bifoye beginning a thirty year careeY in the diamond

industyy, during which he worked Jor De Beeys. He is the

authoy oJ "Famous Diamonds" the standard riference Jor

impoytant diamonds, which was fiyst published in 1987-

109

THf

WITNESS TO THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF HISTORY (1664-1964)

King Philip IV of Spain (1605-1665)

The Infanta Margarita Teresa (1651-1673)

Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I Holy Roman Empress Eleonore of Austria (1640-1705) Magdalena (1655-1720)

1660

1664 Phil ,p IV ordered his

treasurer to form a

collection of the finest

gems for the dowry of

his daughter, the Infanta

Margarita Teresa, upon

her betrothal to

Emperor Leopold I of

Au stria, includ ing the 35 carat blue diamond

1680

1673 Upon the Infanta's

death, her jewels

passed to her

husband as recorded

in an inventory dated

13 March 1673

1700

1705 The blue diamond is

bequeathed to Leopold I's

third wife, Empress

Eleonore Magdalena.

"Diamond ornament consisting of a brooch with a large blue Diamond in the centre, to which belongs a bow-shaped lewel set with ruble','

Archduchess Maria Amalia (1701-1756)

1720 Archduchess Maria

Amalia inherits the

blue diamond from

her grandmother, the

Empress Eleonore

Magdalena.

Holy Roman Emperor Charles Albert (1697-1745)

Elector Maximilian III (1727-1777)

Elector Charles Theodore (1 724-1799)

17 2 2 The diamond enters the

House of Wittelsbach after

the marriage of Maria Amalia

to the Bavarian Crown Prince,

Cha rles Albert. From th is t ime

the diamond becomes known

as 'Der Blaue Witle lsbacher'

A contemporary invento ry

reads

1750

1745 At the fune ra l procession of

Charles Albe rt, the W itlelsbach

diamond is disp layed mounted

wi th in the insign ia of th e Golden

Fleece. From this t ime onwards

the d iamond is handed down

through successive Bavarian ru lers

'No. 1 a large blue diamond adorned with sfY1all brillidnt

price 240000 Florins

King Maximilian I Joseph (1756-1825)

King Ludwig I (1786-1868)

"The big blue diamond, which is of such

extraordinary beauty, clarity and colour that no

comparison can be found It has a weight of 36

carats, 300,000 Florins"

King Maximilian 11 (1811-1864)

lellJ'

'Yesterday I attended the State Open ng of

Parliament t he Sovereign wore the crowr it was

covered with diamond' and the blue diamond was

removed from the Golden FleecE for th,o occas ion

King Ludwig 11 (1845-1886) King Otto I (1848-1916) Prince Regent Luitpold (1821-1912)

King Ludwig III (1845-1921)

1800

1806 The Wittelsbach heir Max lmilian IV

J oseph becomes the f irst King o f

Bavaria and commiss ions a royal

crown prominently d isplaYing the blue

diamond . From this date onwards

the W ltle lsbach is a lternat ively worn

with in the Order of the Golden Fleece

or the Bavarian Royal Crown

1900

1918 The last king of Bavaria,

Ludwig Ill, abd icates as

Germany becomes a

Repub lic.

The di3mond W"J' displayed It the funer3 1 of

Max imrlldn I1

The hor<;e drawn carriage adorned w ith Royal

nSlgn ias, the crown With the family diamond and

the other attributes of the Royal House were

carned In process ion'

VATALOOU.c:

BAVARIAN CROWN JEWELS THE ROYAL HOUSE OP WrrrELSBACH

Magnificent Brilliams aod Emeralds

FINE JEWELS

~~',.!!: .. ~~I~~

tWII t>c1l<>lOb!:lI,-.:I"ti ~

m"S]e<. ('llll]~IlE. MANSO~ l Woo"S ..... ~==-a.-~~c..'..:t"-=:..._ ......... _r ... ..

"~,'""'UIT"'~..:.:JlG ... "'I<'UI

0 ... If.ONDAY. D~£R Ill. 11131

1920

1923

~tt ~Jouc Dlnmont brr f6lttd£bmll~r. .......... ... _ c.. ""~ .~

.. _1·":0 .... · ... ··1· .... , .. "... • .. ~,., ...... _ :... "~1~ _ ~

_ .... ".'JfAflt •• OiIa."',.,'."' .. " .... w,., , ..... s".~..,,·· • ~ .... J"I kJ UCtI<iHd,,' ~ •. ~ld •• '_.U. o.n-Ut ,t.~j ........ Ut. b"t/til.h" .... ".re.~SOI.~ W .... ~ ... "_ " ... "'" "1_ ........... , _ ~~:::....::. ~~.,_" "' ..... ;) ~~ .... ,

Munich newspaper 28 November 1931, announcing the sale of the Bavarian Crown Jewels at Christie's London

1931 Christie's is given the honour of

offering for sale various items of

the Bava rian Crown Jewels, t he

State having granted permission

due to financial hardship of the

W ittelsbach heirs. The thirteen lots

included the Wittelsbach blue

1951-55

1960

An equalization fund IS

established for the

Bavarian Royal House

The stone is sold in Belgium and

subsequently is purchased by an

anonymous buyer in 1955.

1921 The Wiltelsbach makes its

last state appearance

during the funera l

procession of Ludwig Ill.

1958 An unident ified blue diamond of

35 carats IS displayed dUring

the Brussels World Exhibition by

Romi Goldmuntz, an important

diamond dea ler. Today it is

widely accepted to have been

the Wittelsbach

1964 The jeweller Renatus Wilm

in Hamburg is apPointed to

se ll the W itte lsbach and the

diamond is acquired by the

current owner

1961 A blue diamond IS presented

to Joseph Komkommer who

recognises the stone as the

missing Wiltelsbach. He later

establishes a syndicate in order

to purchase the stone and

prevent it from being re-cut.

116

ROYAL REGALIA

The Order of the Golden Fleece was founded by

Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy in 1430 to

celebrate his lTlarriage to the Portuguese princess Isabel

of Aviz . It was nlOdeled on the English Order of the

Garter to which Philip had been elected, but he

refused to take his place, not wanting to offend the

King of France.

Initially the Order was restricted to 24 knights but

increased to 30 in 1433 and 50 in 1516. There were

numerous privileges associated with being a member

of this Catholic Order, such as only being tried by

fellow knights on charges of rebellion, heresy or

treason.

Until the Burgundian lands were absorbed into the

Habsburg Empire the sovereignty of the Order passed

to the Habsburg Kings of Spain, where it remained

until the death of Charles II in 1700. As he was

succeeded by Philip of Anjou, a Bourbon, a dispute

arose between the Austrians and Spanish over who had

the right to appoint knights . The result was a division

of the Order with a Spanish and an Austrian branch.

When the Wittelsbach entered the Bavarian Princely

family in 1722, Charles Albert regarded the diamond

with its powerful blue colour, impressive size and

clarity as a token of good fortune. He admired the blue

diamond and had it mounted in his Order of the

Golden Fleece. He changed the setting of the Order

several times during his reign just like his successor

Maximilian III who, on one occasion, adorned a new

design with 700 additional diamonds.

In 1806 a crown was commissioned by Maxim,ilian IV

Joseph prominently displaying the blue diamond. At the

time royal crowns had a symbolic meaning and precise

regulations governed their appearance and content.

Only certain gemstones could be used and had to be

mounted in a stipulated manner.

Both the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Royal

crown were important symbols of European nobility

and the Wittelsbach in these settings was an observer of

coronations, weddings, christenings, royal and imperial

funerals but most of all a witness of three hundred years

of history.

The Order of the Golden Fleece

K. DE SMET

DE GROTE BLA DIAMANT

A book on the Wittelsbach blue diamond by K. de Smet, with foreword by Joseph Komkommer, 1963

117

Actual size

LOT 212

THE WITIELSBACH DIAMOND

An historic cushion-shaped fancy deep grayish blue diamond weighing 35.56 carats to the plain mount (illustrated unmounted)

Accompanied by report no 17794002 dated 24 Septelllber 2008 Jrolll the Cel11ological Institute oJ America (CIA) stating that the diamond is Fancy Deep Crayish Blue colour, VS2 clarity

Together l/lith a Diamond Type Classification Report stating that the dialllond is Type IIb and a letter Jrom the Cemological b15titllte oJ America confirming the rarity and importance oJ this exceptional stone

Estimate on Request

123

124

GIA GEMOLOGICAL IN STITUTE OF AMERI CA'

Laboratory

October 16, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:

New York Headqual1ers 580 Flllh Avenue Suite 200 I New Yor . NY 10036·4794 T: 212·221·5858 I F: 21 2·575·3095

Carlsbad 5355 Armada Drive I Carlsbad. CA 92008·4699 T: 760·603-4500 I F: 760·603·1814 www.gia.edu

Natural-color blue diamonds of any size are highly unusual. Polished blue diamonds-­particularly large, strongly colored stones--are among the rarest of all gems. Throughout GIA's decades of grading and classifying fancy-colored diamonds, encountering a blue diamond of any quality larger than 20 carats is extraordinary. Arguably, the most famolls colored diamond in the world is the 45.52 carat Fancy Deep grayish blue Hope diamond, which is housed in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. The 35.56 carat Wittelsbach diamond, described on GlA report 11794002, rivals the Hope diamond in all attributes. Its well-documented history confirms that this diamond, similar to the Hope, also originates from India-likely the famed Golconda region.

Diamond historian Ian Balfour traces the diamond to Philip the IV of Spain in the early 1600's. The diamond was given to his daughter Margaret Theresa when she was betrothed to Leopold 1, the Holy Roman Emperor. After her death, the diamond ultimately ended up in Bavaria with the Wittelsbach family, and it remained in Bavaria until the early 1900's. Records show that it was sold at Christie ' s in December of 1931. The famed diamond did not reappear until 1961.

Blue diamonds have fascinated gemologists and scientists because of their physical properties. J. F. H. Custers and H. B. Dyers, two well-known scientists from the Diamond Research Laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa, characterized the unusual properties of these blue diamonds in the mid-1950's. They recognized them as type 1I diamonds, but further distinguished them as type lIb based on the fact that they are semi-conductive. They used this property in their collaboration with researchers from GlA to develop a simple conductometer to separate natural-color blue diamonds from artificially colored blue diamonds that were just reaching the marketplace. The Wittelsbach has a moderate concentration of boron, the color-causing element in natural-color blue diamonds, and also shares the bright and persistent red phosphorescence that is present in the Hope diamond.

The rich history of the Wittelsbach Fancy Deep grayish blue diamond and its unusually large size rank it among the finest in this category that GlA has examined. Strongly colored blue diamonds of any size are highly sought-after, and demand has far outstripped supply.

GlA Research

GIA Laboratory

The World's Foremost Au thorit y in Gem ology'· I Ensuring the Public !r ust through i'lonprofit Ser'lrce since 1931

N o o 'ot 0') ..... ..... .... I-0:: o c.. W 0::

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GIA GEMOLOGI CAL I NSTITUTE OF AMERI CAs

(\n. rl!~rD D ' A~ION'1 GRADING REPORT

September 24, 2008

Shape and Cutting Style ............... Cushion Modified Brilliant

Measurements ..................... 25.21 x 21.38 x 8.29 mm

Carat Weight ................................................ 35.56 carat Color

Origin ......... ........................................... ....... NATURAL

Grade ..................................... ........... FANCY DEEP ........................ ............. ....... GRAYISH BLUE

Distribution ............................. .............. ................ Even

Clarity Grade .. .. ......... ......... ........................................ VS2

Finish Polish ................. ................................................ ... Good Symmetry ........................................ .. ................... Good

Fluorescence .... ............................................ .... ........ None Comments: None

I "

extremel thin

KEY TO SYMBOLS '" Cavity • Chip

'\. Feather , Bruise

" Extra Facet

Red symbols denote intemal characteristics (inclusions). Green or black symbols denote external characteriStics (blemishes) Diagram Is an approximate representation 01 the diamond. and symbols shown indicate type. posttion. and approximate size of clarity characteristiCs. All clarity characteristics may 001 be shown. Details of finish are not shown.

very thin

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