Cheaper to steal than to buy: Napoleon's brooch sells for £4.4 million – 17 times its estimate

The moped tracks outside the Louvre, in Paris, have barely had a chance to cool, but another important Napoleonic jewel is already making headlines.

However, this time, the historic piece was legitimately for sale. The one-of-a-kind brooch is a glittering spoil of war, owned by Napoleon Bonaparte, and seized by the Prussians during the Battle of Waterloo, in 1815.

Studded with old mine and mazarin-cut diamonds, the jewel appeared on the auctioneer’s block, in Geneva, yesterday (November 12) as part of Sotheby’s ‘Royal & Noble’ sale. Part of a precious cache — including weapons, medals, a hat, silverware, and a box containing dozens of loose diamonds — that the self-appointed French Emperor brought with him to fight, it was expected to sell for between £115,000 and £153,000, but actually went for £4.4 million.

When his armies were overwhelmed on the battlefield by combined British and Prussian forces, Napoleon beat a hasty retreat to the French capital, but famously abandoned his carriage at Genappe, just south of Waterloo because the road was congested. The emperor escaped on horseback, but the bottleneck cost him his carriage and its valuable contents. On June 21, 1815, three days after the fight, the brooch was offered by one Lieutenant von Pless to the Prussian king, Friedrich Wilhelm III, as a trophy.

‘I herewith humbly present, in the name of the 15th Regiment and particularly the Fusilier Battalion under my command, a brilliant ornament that we captured in pursuit during the glorious battle,’ von Pless wrote. ‘This ornament is so rare that it should rightfully belong only to the Crown of Prussia and our revered King.’

The circular brooch was crafted for Napoleon in around 1810, and measures 45mm across. At its heart sits a dazzling 13.04-carat, oval-cut diamond, ringed by almost 100 more. It was most likely designed as a hat ornament, to be worn on special occasions — a symbol of the imperial splendour that the emperor manifested for himself and his court following his lavish coronation in 1804.

The brooch was part of the House of Hohenzollern’s collection for generations, passing from Friedrich Wilhelm III to German emperors. During the 19^th century, its original pin was replaced with a sturdier fastener, and a pendant loop was added. The piece eventually made its way into a private collection.

Other significant jewels that went under the hammer include Prince Franz Xaver of Saxony and Poland’s (1730–1806) spectacular natural pearl and diamond hair ornament, and matching pin. The pieces were originally crafted for a tiara, for the wedding of the Prince’s daughter Cunegonde of Saxony, in 1796 — which was later dismantled and its various parts remounted.

And then there was the show-stopping pink diamond ring that once adorned the fingers of Princess Neslishah Sultan (1921–2012), one of the last Ottoman princesses. The ring, which is coming up for auction for the first time, features an old mine, brilliant-cut light pink diamond of more than 13 carats. It was estimated to sell for between £228,000 and £379,500. Its provenance is extraordinary: before the princess, it was owned by Catherine I of Russia. It was gifted to the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III in 1711, during the Treaty of Pruth.

These sparkling jewels have, against the odds, survived centuries of upheaval and sweeping political changes, witnesses of events that have reshaped our world and precious links to some of the most prominent figures in human history.

We can only assume that security was sky high (or at least a little bit higher than a German ladder can reach).