Diamond brooch that Napoleon lost while fleeing Waterloo sells for $4.4 million at auction, Sotheby

A diamond brooch that French Emperor Napoleon lost while fleeing the Battle of Waterloo in the early 19th century sold for more than 3.5 million Swiss francs (about $4.4 million) at an auction in Geneva on Wednesday, Sotheby’s said.

The brooch, which can also be worn as a pendant, features an oval diamond weighing over 13 carats, surrounded by smaller cut diamonds.

“This historic and highly significant diamond jewel was part of other personal belongings that the Emperor had taken to Waterloo, including medals, weapons, cutlery, a hat and a jewelry box containing dozens of loose diamonds as well as jewelry,” Sotheby’s said in a news release.

“In his haste to flee Waterloo, where his armies had been overwhelmed by the combined forces of the British and Prussian armies, Napoleon had to abandon some of his carriages when they became trapped on a muddy road a few kilometers from the battlefield, including the carriage containing those precious belongings,” it said.

The sale price far exceeded the estimated sale price of 200,000 francs. The hammer price was 2.85 million francs, not including fees and other charges that were included in the final total price.

Sotheby’s did not reveal the identity of the seller and said the buyer was a “private collector.”

According to Sotheby’s, the brooch and some other objects were offered to Prussian King Frederick William III as battle trophies in 1815, three days after the Battle of Waterloo. It remained for centuries among the relics of the Prussian Royal House of Hohenzollern and in recent years was part of another private collection.

Among dozens of lots up for auction was a green beryl weighing more than 132 carats, which Napoleon was said to have worn at his coronation in 1804. The jewel sold for a hammer price of 838,000 francs, or more than 17 times the high-end pre-sale estimate.

A diamond expert said the sale took on added appeal after the theft of Napoleonic jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris last month. The thieves took eight pieces in broad daylight and dropped one as they fled.

“Given the recent Louvre robbery and the provenance of possibly the most famous French figure in history, I am not surprised that the jewel has fetched the majestic figure of 3.5 million francs,” said Tobias Kormind, CEO of online jeweler 77 Diamonds. “The brooch comes at a time of renewed global fascination with Napoleonic jewels, and its story is irresistible.”