French national collections · INV 5333 / MV 5215
Historical artwork presented in a generated frame setting.
The story behind the piece
A royal blue, across generations.
The sapphire parure associated with Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense brings together large blue stones, diamond borders and articulated fringes. The necklace’s alternating rhythm is the starting point for this High Jewellery design.
Louis Hersent’s 1836 portrait of Marie-Amélie shows the queen in white court dress with sapphire jewellery. The portrait connects the colour and ceremonial setting to a real historical figure; the surviving jewels were altered over time.
The queen and the sapphire parure are historically connected. The painted jewel and the later necklace are not treated as a stone-for-stone match.
