Today marks the 120th Anniversary of the Death of Queen Marie-José of Italy, who was born on this day in 1906! The Belgian Princess who became the last Queen of Italy, Queen Marie-José possessed the vast jewellery collection of the House of Savoy alongside Heirlooms from the Belgian Royal Family!
Princess Maria Gabriella once noted:
My mother did not attach any importance to jewels. She often misplaced this or that piece, and it even happened to her to call a spiritualist to find out where she had stored a sumptuous emerald necklace. On the other hand, my father took huge care of it. Whenever we attended a ball or a royal wedding in Europe, he was the one who carried the jewels and distributed them to his wife or daughters”.
Queen Margherita’s Musy Tiara
Origin: Commissioned by Queen Margherita of Italy to mark the birth of her grandson, Crown Prince Umberto, in 1904, and given as a wedding gift to Princess Marie-José by Crown Prince Umberto in 1930
Notable Appearances: Wedding in 1930, the Christening of the Prince of Naples in 1937, the Coronation of Pope Pius XII in 1939, a Gala Performance at the Florence Opera House in 1939, the two Wedding Balls of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and her daughter, Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, in 1955, the Wedding Ball of her nephew, King Baudouin of Belgium, and Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón at the Royal Palace of Brussles in 1960, and the Wedding Ball of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne Marie of Denmark in 1964.
Current Location: Remains an heirloom of the House of Savoy
Mellerio Diamond Wreath Tiara
Origin: A wedding gift to Queen Margherita from King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy in 1868
Notable Appearances: The Wedding Ball of Archduke Robert of Austria and Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta in 1953, a Ball at the Palace of Versailles in 1960, and the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1962.
Current Location: Sold by the House of Savoy and now in the procession of the Albion Art Institute
Beauharnais Pearl Tiara
Origin: Created for Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Grand Duchess of Baden and inherited by her granddaughter, Queen Carola of Saxony, who left it to her cousin, the Countess of Flanders. It was given as an 18th Birthday Gift to Princess Marie-José by King Albert and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium.
Notable Appearances: The Bal de la Grande Harmonie in 1927 and the Belgian Royal Family’s visit to the Vatican in 1930
Current Location: Inherited by Queen Marie José’s daughter, Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy, auctioned at Christie’s in Geneva in 2007, and now on display at the Mannheim Museum
Queen Elisabeth of Belgium’s Diamond Bandeau
Origin: Made by Altenloh for Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians in the 1910s
Notable Appearances: In Mexico in the late 1970s or 1980s
Current Location: Inherited by Queen Marie José’s daughter, Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy
Leuchtenberg Fabergé Tiara
Origin: Briolette Diamonds given by Tsar Alexander I of Russia to Empress Joséphine in 1814 were set by the 5th Duchess of Leuchtenberg into a Fabergé Tiara in 1890, which was acquired for Queen Elisabeth of Belgium after the First World War, being left to Queen Marie José by her brother, Prince Charles of Belgium, Count of Flanders, in 1983.
Current Location: Inherited by Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy and auctioned at Christie’s in Geneva in 2007, now on display in the Houston Museum of Natural Science
Sapphire Necklace
Origin: Created by Petochi for King Umberto II of Italy using stones he had inherited from his grandmother, Queen Margherita
Notable Appearances: The Wedding Gala of her nephew, King Baudouin of Belgium, and Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón at the Musée du Cinquantenaire in Brussels in 1960, the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1962.
Current Location: Divided between the Prince of Naples and Princess Maria Gabriella
Savoy Knot Necklace
Origin: Created by Chiappe for Crown Prince Umberto of Italy when he married Princess Marie Jose of Belgium in 1930
Notable Appearances: Portraits taken by Ghitta Carrell in the 1930s
Current Location: Remains an heirloom of the House of Savoy, last worn by the Princess of Venice
Diamond Earrings
Origin: Created by Chiappe for Crown Prince Umberto of Italy when he married Princess Marie Jose of Belgium in 1930
Notable Appearances: Portraits taken by Ghitta Carrell in the 1930s and a visit to the Vatican in the late 1930s
Current Location: Remain heirlooms of the House of Savoy
Savoy Knot Brooches
Origin: Created by Chiappe for Crown Prince Umberto of Italy when he married Princess Marie Jose of Belgium in 1930
Notable Appearances: Portraits taken by Ghitta Carrell in the 1930s and the Wedding Ball of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and her daughter, Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, in 1955
Current Location: Auctioned off in the 1980s
Queen Margherita’s Pearl Bracelet Bandeau
Origin: Given to Queen Margherita by King Umberto I on the birth of King Vittorio Emanuele II in 1869
Notable Appearances: The Coronation of Pope Pius XII in 1939, the Wedding Gala of Archduke Robert of Austria and Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta in 1953, and Galas held ahead of the Wedding of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and Princess Maria Pia of Savoy in 1955, the Wedding Banquet held at the Musee du Cinquantenaire, the Ball at the Royal Palace of Brussels, the Wedding Gala of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne Marie of Denmark in 1964, and the Wedding of the Duke of Aosta and Princess Claude of Orléans in 1964.
Current Location: Sold at auction in 1998
Diamond Bow Brooch
Origin: Originating from Queen Margherita and later given by Queen Elena as a wedding gift to Queen Marie Jose
Notable Appearances: The Christening of the Prince of Naples in 1937, the Coronation of Pope Pius XII in 1939, Wedding Gala for her daughter, Princess Maria-Pia, and Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia in Portugal in 1955., the Wedding Ball of her nephew, King Baudouin of Belgium, and Dona Fabiola de Mora y Aragon, the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece at the Royal Palace of Athens, the Wedding of the Duke of Aosta and Princess Claude of Orléans in 1964, the Wedding of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark.
Current Location: Inherited by Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy and auctioned at Christie’s in Geneva in 2007, before reappearing at auction in 2017
