Royal Jewels: From Charlemagne to the Romanovs [Hardcover]

Diana Scarisbrick (Editor), Christophe Vachaudez (Editor), Jan Walgrave (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

A spectacular celebration of European jewels, from Charlemagne to Louis XIV to Catherine the Great.

 

For centuries, the wealth, power, and prestige of European monarchies was concentrated in the jewels that hung from their necks, decorated their clothing, and dripped from their fingers—often into the waiting hands of favorite courtiers. From the weighty, gem-encrusted gold crowns of medieval kings to glittering diamond tiaras of Belle Epoque princesses, Royal Jewels shows the exquisite range of gems worn by Europe’s fabled monarchs.

 

These are the dazzling remains of a lost era—when gems were powerful tools in the game of royal politics, and when the gift of jewelry bestowed far more than wealth on the recipient. Gems expressed court favor, strengthened international ties, and embodied the power of kings long dead and conquerors in the making. With over 300 exquisite photographs and edited by a distinguished group of experts, Royal Jewels is an incomparable examination of an incredible art.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Diana Scarisbrick is a well-known jewelry historian, author, and curator. Christophe Vachaudez, an author and curator, specializes in royal European jewel collections.  Jan Walgrave, Honorary Director of the Museum of the Diamant in Antwerp, is a jewelry curator and author.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Vendome Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865651930
• ISBN-13: 978-0865651937
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #668,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A model of painstaking scholarship that makes it an impressive addition to academic and community library collections, October 7, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Royal Jewels: From Charlemagne to the Romanovs (Hardcover)

Compiled and co-edited by the team of art historian and fine jewelry historian Diana Scarisbrick, curator and specialist in royal European jewel collections Christophe Vachaudez and jewelry curator Jan Walgrave (who is also Honorary Director of the Diamond Museum in Antwer), "Royal Jewels: From Charlemagne To The Romanovs" surveys and showcases more than 800 years of jewelry associated with European monarchs. The informed and informative text is superbly enhanced with the inclusion of 290 full color and 25 black-and-white illustrations that include period paintings and photographs of bedecked royalty ranging from Louis XV, Napoleon, Empress Eugenie, Mary Queen of Scots, an Infanta of Spain, and members of the Medici family. Symbols of wealth, cultural status, and political power, jewels hung from necks and fingers, decorated clothing, enhanced the crowns of kings and the tiaras of queens. A beautiful book for browsing by the non-specialist general reader, "Royal Jewels" is a model of painstaking scholarship that makes it an impressive addition to academic and community library collections.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A jewel in itself, February 20, 2009

By 

James M. Richardson "Goldsmith, Artist, MFA" (stratosphere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Royal Jewels: From Charlemagne to the Romanovs (Hardcover)

This book is very well written and researched, I might even say exhaustively researched.
Whether just looking at the myriad of photos or reading the informative text the book gives insight into the world of royal jewels.
It's focus is on northern Europe branching out to include Russia and Greece.
The photos of the jewels are clear and large enough to be studied at length. From a jeweler's point of view I'd like to see more backs and insides of jewelry to understand the construction but it's the rare book that goes that in depth.
The writing is easy to read and not bound up in the formalized art speak that renders some jewelry history books indecipherable. Although the product of different authors it reads as a cohesive whole and will no doubt provide hours of enlightenment for both the serious student and someone who just likes to look at stunning jewelry photos.
Woven into the text are stories of the jewels and the wearers along with royal portraits showing them in context.
While not a must have in the collection of jewelry books, it brings with it a certain panache, welcome in any collection, much like that tiara that you only wear on certain occasions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Could have been better., February 7, 2011

By 

B. Weaves - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Royal Jewels: From Charlemagne to the Romanovs (Hardcover)

While the photos of the jewelry are wonderful, up close and in color, I was still a bit disappointed in this book. The choices of jewelry seem a bit random. In some cases, the item photographed is not the one being described. Items are also described that are not photographed; such as an entire parure might be described, but only one item shown. It's nice that there are a few pictures of people wearing items, but sometimes those items aren't shown either. And some of the people in the photographs are not mentioned in captions, so you're not entirely sure who they are as several people may be mentioned in the accompaning text. Still, if you have every tiara book out there, this has a few I haven't seen before.