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A model poses for photographers wearing jewelry that previously belonged to Marie Antoinette, at Sotheby's on October 19, 2018 in London, England.
(Photo by Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)
The jewels that once belonged to the French queen Marie-Antoinette will be auctioned Wednesday in Switzerland, where they should sell for millions of dollars.
Daughter of the Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and wife of King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette was guillotined in October 1793, at the height of the French Revolution. Her husband had been executed nine months earlier.
The auction offers a glimpse of the world of the French court during its twilight years.
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Earrings with diamonds and pearls, pearl necklaces and a giant pearl pendant that once belonged to the unfortunate queen are among the many legacies of the Bourbon-Parma dynasty that will be auctioned by Sotheby's.
An eighteenth-century pearl diamond pendant, previously owned by Marie Antoinette, is featured at auction house Sotheby's on October 19, 2018 in London, England.
(Photo by Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)
Some auction items have not been seen publicly for 200 years, which has sparked interest in the sale.
The centerpiece is probably "The pearl of Queen Marie Antoinette", a pendant in diamonds and pearls estimated between 1 and 2 million dollars or more. It features a 2.58 cm (about 1 inch) drop-shaped natural bead that surpasses the one of Peregrina that was once part of the collection of Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor.
This diamond and pearl pendant is thought to be part of the jewelery packaged when Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI prepared to flee France. Packed in a wooden crate, they were secretly transported to Brussels and then to Vienna, according to Sotheby's. In Vienna, the jewels came under the care of Francis II, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and the nephew of Marie Antoinette. The auction house says that the jewels have been passed down from generation to generation to their current owners.
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"This is one of the most important royal jewelery collections ever on the market, and every piece of jewelery is so steeped in history," said Danila Mascetti, Vice President of the Board of Sotheby's Jewelry Europe. "Never seen in public, this extraordinary jewelry group offers a captivating glimpse into the lives of its owners for hundreds of years."
The jewels once belonged to Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France. (Photo by Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)
Marie Antoinette, who was 37 at the time of her death, became synonymous with the decadence of the French monarchy in the pre-revolutionary era. Historians however believe that she has never uttered the famous words "Let them eat cake". This quote has long been attributed to the Queen, who had apparently just been informed that her hungry subjects did not have any bread.
This is not the first time that Marie-Antoinette's jewels are sold at auction. However, Reuters reports that a necklace containing pearls that belonged to the queen was not sold when it was auctioned in 2007.
Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
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