A Napoleon Bonaparte diamond brooch, captured after his defeat by the Prussians in 1815, sold at Sotheby's in Geneva for $4.4 million, nearly 18 times its high estimate of $250,000.
The brooch, which can also be worn as a pendant, features a large oval 13.04-carat diamond surrounded by nearly 100 old-cut diamonds arranged in two concentric rows.
The bidding battle lasted less than 10 minutes. The lot was bid on by four telephone bidders, one online bidder, and one bidder in the auction room. The brooch was purchased by an unnamed collector.
According to Sotheby's, Napoleon, fleeing at Waterloo after the defeat of his armies, was forced to abandon several of his carriages, which became stranded on a muddy road several miles from the battlefield. One of them retained its cargo of jewels.
Three days later, the brooch was presented to the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III as a battle trophy. It remained in the Hohenzollern dynasty for centuries and was passed down through the German emperors. For the past several years, the jewel has been in a private collection.
Another of Napoleon's treasures, a 132.66-carat green beryl, which Napoleon reportedly wore on his coronation robe in 1804, was acquired by an American museum for $1 million, 17 times its estimated value.
Both items were major hits at the Royal and Noble Sale, which raised a total of $14.3 million.
Hélène Tarin, Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished
