Savoia's jewels

[LORENZO]

Ok, but if the jewels that are in the caveaux of the Banca d'Italia are property of the Royal House, why the Royal House Minister (Falcone Lucifero till the 90s) never went to take them?
Queen Margaret's perls were divided between the King Viktor Emanuel III's daughters after th Queen Mother'deth in the 1926.

[Agneschen]

All the pics are from the book "I gioielli di Casa Savoia", written by HRH Princess Maria Gabriella di Savoia.

This book is a real MUST for everyone interested in the Savoy jewels. The pics it contains are absolutely gorgeous.

[LORENZO]

I agree, a great book, but also these books:

- Casa Savoia. Diario di una Monarchia by Princess Maria Gabriella;

- Le origini di Casa Savoia by Queen Maria José;

- La regina incompresa by Luciano Regolo;

- Il re signore by Luciano Regolo;

- Jelena by Luciano Regolo;

- Giovinezza di una regina by Queen Maria José;

- La regina Margherita by Carlo Casalegno;

- I Savoia by Francesco Cognasso.


There are many many others books about the House of Savoy, these are just a little part.

[gleb]

This book is a real MUST for everyone interested in the Savoy jewels. The pics it contains are absolutely gorgeous.

Don't forget the brand new " Vita di corte" the author is again our beloved Princess Maria Gabriella.

[Agneschen]

Vita di Corte in Casa Savoia I bought a couple of weeks ago. It cost me a great deal of money and I own I have been rather disappointed in it. The historical documents are interesting but many pics of the family have already been published in Casa Savoia - Diario di una Monarchia and Gioielli di Casa Savoia. These last 2 books I enjoyed much more.

[lancashireladandre]

There are Chapters in English about the jewels in two books :- Vincent Meylan's "Queens Jewels" and "Famous Jewelry Collectors" by Stefano Papi & Alexandra Rhodes ( Thames and Hudson/1999 &2005).In the former there is a picture of Queen Margherita wearing the superb tiara and earrings which complemented the now dismantled emerald necklace. In the latter the necklace is said to have come to Margherita from her mother The Duchess of Genova part of whose dowry as a daughter of the King of Saxony it had formed.

[Eric_Lowe]

part of the extensive pearl collection of Queen Margarita

[amedeo]

http://www.sgallery.net/artnews/2007/06/14/faberge-tiara-realizes-gbp1050400.html

[Norbert]

But there is a distinct difference between "Crown Jewels" and the personal jewelry of the royal family. i suppose the "Iron Crown of Lombardy" would be a crown jewel with it's ancient history whilst Queen Margherita's pearls are family items

[Eric_Lowe]

Are the pearls still with the family ?

[Noloter]

i suppose the "Iron Crown of Lombardy" would be a crown jewel with it's ancient history

Iron Crown of Lombardy, also known as Crown of Italy has been used by ancient Kings of Italy from Charlemangne to Napoleon I, it is part of the Royal Jewels. House of Savoy's kings never wore the Iron Crown because it was also a Christian Catholic Relic (it's believed that the iron ring wich supports the crown was made up melting one of the knails taken by Jesus Christ's Cross) and as they have been excommunicated by Pope by taking Rome they don't want to irritate Church further more "desecrating" a holy object. They say King Humbert I planned to wear the Iron Crown in his late years, but he was killed before he could really do that, so we'll never know if it was true or not. Victor Emmanuel III didn't want a cononation ceremony as he was too shocked by his father's death (and because he was a moderate and low-profiled man). As for Humbert II, his reign was to short and turbulent for even thinking about a coronation ceremony; however, if he wanted to, he could have been able to wear the Iron Crown as the famous "Questione Romana" ("Roman Question") was completely resolved in 1929.

While on the Italian Royal coat of arms (wich closely derives from House of Savoy's coat of arms) appears only the Crown of Sardinia (lately Humbert I modified the coat of arms placing a very little Iron Crown above the Savoy Shield and under the Crown of Sardinia), the official crown of the Kingdom of Italy is the Iron Crown.
   
                        (Old Royal coat of arms)                                                                      (New Royal coat of arms with modifications made by Humbert I)

According to the Royal Decree of Jenuary 1st 1890, in fact, Italian kings have two crowns: Corona Reale di Savoia (Royal Crown of Savoy) and Corona Reale d'Italia (Royal Crown of Italy). Art. 44 says: "Il Re usa due corone; quella Reale di Savoia e quella Reale d'Italia" ("King uses two crowns; the Royal Crown of Savoy and the Royal Crown of Italy"); and Art. 51 says: "La Corona Reale d'Italia è quella detta Corona di Ferro che si conserva nel Real Tesoro della Cattedrale di Monza" ("The Royal Crown of Italy is the one called Iron Crown and it's kept in the Royal Tresury of the Cathedral of Monza").

                 
(Iron Crown or Royal Crown of Italy)            (Savoy's Crown or Royal Crown of Sardinia)

Anyone  has the photos of the Sardinian Crowns and jewels?
I guess that the Kings and the Queens of Sardinia have been crowned with some crown!

Royal Crown of Sardinia, along with many crown jewels, were lost and/or destroyed in XVIII century during Napoleon's invasion of Piedmont. Kings of Sardinia have never been coronated since that.


[I'm sorry for my poor English, I'm Italian]

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. But the Royal House of Savoy later got a better crown that of Italy.

[Noloter]

Yes. But the Royal House of Savoy later got a better crown that of Italy.

I'm very sorry, Eric_Lowe, but I couldn't grasp the meaning of what you said... :-(

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. I mean the crown of Sardinia is not as great as the crown of Italy for the House of Savoy.

[Noloter]

Oh, yes, you're right.

Crown of Italy - not to mention its material value, of course - was highly more prestigius, ancient and "historical" than Crown of Sardinia; Kigdom of Italy was founded by Ostrogoths soon after Western Roman Empire's fall in V century, while Kigdom of Sardinia was founded almost eight centuries later by Aragoneses in XIII century.  Sardinia was considered a kind of "lesser kingdom" as it had been controlled by foreign sovereigns (Aragoneses, Spanishes, Austrians) for centuries untill Dukes of Savoy took the crown in XVIII century, while Italy's crown has always been so important that it was hold at first by Holy Roman Emperors since Charlemagne, and later by Napoleon I; It's also important to note that Charlemagne, fragmenting his large empire among his sons (as it was a Frankish tradition), estabilished that only the one who would inherit Italy's throne could be named "Emperor".

I completely agree with you, Eric_Lowe.
However I don't think Savoys took it easy when  they found out Sardinia's Crown had been stolen and destroyed...


[I'm sorry if my post is a little off-topic]