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M O U N T B A T T E N - B A T T
E N B E R G
LADY MOUNTBATTEN’S TIARA
MAGNIFICENT and important tiara, previously
owned and worn by one of the most beautiful and distinguished
women of her day.
The pierced band of undulating scrollwork and trefoil
motifs surmounted by thirteen trefoils graduating in
size from the centre, millegrain set throughout with
cushion-shaped, circular-, single-cut and rose diamonds
An object of dazzling beauty, Lady Louis Mountbatten's
tiara evokes at a glance the glamour of the circles
in which she moved. The tiara, which was offered for
sale by Lady Mountbatten's daughter Lady Pamela Hicks
and sold for 149,650 GBP
Perhaps the most characteristic jewels of the 20th century,
tiaras were the preserve of a moneyed elite and de rigeur
for both formal and festive occasions. The exuberant,
stylish and glamorous social life of the time required
that elegant women wore this most flattering ornament
not only at court but also at the theatre or the opera
in Paris, London and New York. Jewellers were literally
flooded with commissions for this desirable and obligatory
accessory and arguably, more tiaras were constructed
at this time than at any other.
Lady Mountbatten's tiara is a magnificent example of
the elegance and lavishness of these early 20th century
head ornaments.
The overall design, inspired by the shape of the traditional
kokoshnik, is softened by the sinuous meandering of
the foliate motifs.
The impeccable workmanship of the setting, realised
with the minimum amount of platinum and finished with
a fine millegrain decoration, offsets the soft shapes
of the old cut diamonds. Both design and workmanship
are consistent with the work of the major Parisian Maisons.
Research in Chaumet's archives has revealed a similarity
in design to one of the firm's maquettes but the meandering
pattern and kokoshnik design have been extensively used
by Cartier too. Interestingly, this tiara displays unclear
maker's marks that could be interpreted as Chaumet,
yet is fitted in a Cartier case.
Wealthy in her own right from her grandfather, Sir
Ernest Cassell, she married Lord Louis Mountbatten,
younger son of Admiral of the Fleet, the Marquess of
Milford Haven (formerly Prince Louis of Battenberg)
and his wife Victoria, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria
and was at his side as the last Vicereine of India
and the first Countess Mountbatten of Burma.
An acclaimed beauty and society hostess, she did not
rest upon her privilege alone but devoted herself to
humanitarian causes throughout her life. She helped
organise the welfare services for returning allied prisoners
of war in South East Asia, she helped co-ordinate the
various aid organisations set up to combat the violence
and population displacement following the independence
of India, she was Chairman of the St John and Red Cross
Services Hospitals Welfare Department, Superintendent-in-Chief
of the St John Ambulance Brigade Overseas, President
of the Save the Children Fund and Vice President of
the Royal College of Nursing. She died in 1960 whilst
on a tour of inspection for the St John's Ambulance
Brigade in Northern Borneo and was buried at sea off
Portsmouth with naval honours
Source:Sothebys
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