Friday, August 7, 2015

Luxarazzi 101: Bavarian Lover's Knot Tiara

It's tiara time again, ladies and gentlemen. Today we are introducing to you another tiara by the former royal family of Bavaria, the Bavarian Lover's Knot Tiara, featured in the Luxarazzi Tiara Race. Much like the Bavarian Ruby and Spinel Parure, this one can't be worn by the current crop of Grand Ducal ladies but it has been worn by a Luxembourgish princess in the past, Princess Antonia, younger sister of Grand Duchess Charlotte and wife of the last crown prince of Bavaria, Rupprecht.
Lover's knot tiaras were once a popular design for pearl and diamond pieces. While the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara is probably the most famous of them all these days, the Bavarian tiara is a good 90 years older. Dated circa 1825, it is attributed to Bavarian royal court jeweller Caspar Rieländer. The tiara features 16 diamond arches with pearl drops hanging from lover's knot bows. These pearl drops are mirrored by another sixteen pear shaped pearls interspersed with small pearls on the tiara's top.


Much like the recently talked about Ruby and Spinel Parure, this tiara - as well as accompanying earrings and necklace - were a gift from King Ludwig I of Bavaria to his wife, Queen Therese. Therese later gave it to her daughter-in-law, Amalia of Oldenburg, who was the Queen consort of Greece from 1836 to 1862. When her husband, King Otto, had to abdicate, the couple, who was childless, returned to Bavaria. These days, the tiara is on display at Munich's Residenz, the former home of the Wittelsbach family turned museum.

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