The blockbuster film “Napoleon” has reignited the mystery surrounding his wife Josephine’s lost jewelry.
A necklace and tiara said to have been worn by the glamorous Empress were handled and sold by the Harrogate-based Ogden family jewelery company in the 1930s.
But no one knows where these magnificent and historic pieces of jewelry are today.
“It would be really interesting to find out what happened to them,” said co-owner Robert Ogden, who, along with brother Ben, is the fifth generation to run the family business.
Josephine Bonaparte’s diamond necklace was purchased in 1933 by her great-uncle Captain William Ogden.
The diamond tiara is said to have been made for Josephine – played by Vanessa Kirby on the big screen – for the imperial coronation in 1804
The blockbuster film “Napoleon” has reignited the mystery surrounding his wife Josephine’s lost jewelry. A necklace and tiara (pictured) said to have been worn by the glamorous Empress were handled and sold by the Harrogate-based Ogden family jewelery company in the 1930s
A newspaper clipping dated December 22 this year said the necklace was purchased at a “price which has not been disclosed but is said to be in the thousands of pounds.”
The Daily Mirror article quoted a member of the Ogden family business as saying: “They are a wonderful selection of diamonds of fine color and are in the old gold setting of the period.” They are presented in a red leather case engraved crown and the initial letter “J” underneath.
Another press clipping said the necklace was purchased from a “French source” in London.
Captain Ogden’s manager KC Drayson said at the time: “There is no doubt it was given to her by Napoleon.” “Negotiations have been going on for some time and the necklace was brought from France a few weeks ago.”
Speaking to Web, Mr Ogden, 51, said: “This is where the story ends.”
He said the necklace “would certainly have been resold by Ogden’s and it would have been a private sale rather than an auction.”
There is no photo of the diamond necklace, but there is a stunning tiara that was also featured in Ridley Scott’s biopic, now playing in theaters across the country.
It was set with 1,040 diamonds and weighed over 250 carats.
The diamond tiara is said to have been made for Josephine – played by Vanessa Kirby on the big screen – for the imperial coronation in 1804.
In a depiction of the imperial coronation in 1804, Joaquin Phoenix’s Napoleon is seen crowning Kirby’s Josephine
In the 1930s it came into the possession of the London branch of the Ogden company.
A local historian reported that it was sold to a ‘title lady’ to wear at the coronation of George V1 in 1937.
Mr Ogden said the aristocratic buyer was reportedly Sir Robert Mond, a British chemist and archaeologist.
James R. Ogden, who founded the company in 1893, was an Egyptologist and that “may explain the connection.”
Sir Robert died in 1938 and his widow Marie-Louise sold the tiara to the luxury jewelry company Van Cleef & Arpels in 1948.
It was advertised by the company as a “gift” from Napoleon to his wife Josephine and featured in a company advertisement.
In fact, the tiara was on loan from Princess Grace of Monaco, which she wore to the Centennial Ball that celebrated the 100th anniversary of Monte Carlo in May 1966.
Rose Kennedy, the mother of President John F. Kennedy, also borrowed the tiara.
In 1969, the tiara was shown in a major exhibition in Paris to mark the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s birth.
Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon in Ridley Scott’s drama
Ogden is based in Harrogate, Yorkshire and is still run by the same family
“It would be really interesting to find out what happened to them,” said co-owner Robert Ogden, who, along with brother Ben, is the fifth generation to run the family business. Josephine Bonaparte’s diamond necklace was purchased in 1933 by her great-uncle Captain William Ogden. Above: The brothers with a portrait of their ancestor
Napoleon ruled France and controlled much of Europe from 1804 until his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815
The famous tiara eventually left the company’s collection, but where it remained is unknown.
However, there are now doubts as to whether this tiara actually belonged to Josephine. A French historian noted that it does not appear in inventories of family jewels and is different from the one on Josephine’s head in a coronation painting by Jacques-Louis David commissioned by Napoleon.
It is said that the painting took several years to complete and much of it was created from memory.
It was certainly the model that the filmmakers modeled their coronation jewelry for the Napoleon film on.
Whatever the truth about the origin, the Ogden family is eager to find out what happened to the two historical pieces that passed through their company many decades ago.
“We would like to find out what happened to both of them,” Mr Ogden said.