Vienna 1900: An Imperial and Royal Collection
Vienna 1900: An Imperial and Royal Collection
From the Collection of Archduchess Maria Immaculata of Austria-Tuscany, Duchess of Württemberg (1878-1968)
Wilhelm Haarstrick
Attractive suite of diamond brooches/pendants, circa 1900
Auction Closed
November 7, 12:14 PM GMT
Estimate
9,000 - 14,000 CHF
Lot Details
Description
From the Collection of Archduchess Maria Immaculata of Austria-Tuscany, Duchess of Württemberg (1878-1968)
Attractive suite of diamond brooches/pendants, Wilhelm Haarstrick, circa 1900
Comprising three brooches/pendants each designed as a star set throughout with circular-cut diamonds, maker's marks for Wilhelm Haarstrick, brooch fittings detachable, fitting for wear as a tiara, inner circumference approximately 230mm, hairpin fittings, two fitted cases stamped Wilhelm Haarstrick.
Grand Duke Ferdinand IV of Tuscany (1835-1908) and Princess Alice of Bourbon Parma, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (1849-1935)
Archduchess Maria Immaculata of Austria-Tuscany, Duchess of Württemberg (1878-1968)
Cf.: Irmgard von Hauser-Köchert, Köchert - Imperial Jewellers in Vienna, Firenze, 1990, p. 21 and 66, for information on the career of Wilhelm Haarstrick at Köchert.
Grand Duke Ferdinand IV of Tuscany (1835-1908) and his spouse Princess Alice of Bourbon-Parma, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (1849-1935) gifted this suite of diamond stars to their niece Archduchess Maria Immaculata of Austria-Tuscany (1878-1968) as a wedding gift on the occasion of her marriage to Robert, Duke of Württemberg (1873-1947) celebrated on 29 October 1900.
The jeweller Wilhelm Haarstrick was employed by the renowned Viennese jeweller Köchert between 1864 and 1896 before working independently. Wilhelm Haarstrick was specialized in renaissance revival designs as well as elaborate diamond parures. These star-shaped diamond ornaments in particular recall the famous suite of diamond stars which Köchert created for Empress Elisabeth of Austria in the 1860s and which she was immortalised wearing in her full-sized 1865 portrait by Franz Xavier Winterhalter. This portrait remains the quintessential image anchoring the enduring romantic myth of 'Sissi'.