Property of the Ducal House of Bavaria
Onyx and diamond bangle, second half of the 19th century and a gunmetal and diamond locket, circa 1900
Auction Closed
November 13, 06:32 PM GMT
Estimate
2,600 - 4,500 CHF
Lot Details
Description
Comprising: a polished onyx bangle, the front spelling the word Souvenir set with rose diamonds flanked by old cushion-shaped diamonds, inner circumference approximately 170mm; and a gunmetal locket decorated with a monogram set with rose diamonds, opening to reveal a portrait photograph of Carl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria and his wife Infanta Maria José of Portugal, inscribed with the Latin devise 'vir et uxor unanimes', on a cable-link chain, length approximately 550mm.
Gunmetal and diamond locket:
Carl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria (1839-1909 and Infanta Maria José of Portugal, Duchess in Bavaria (1857-1943)
Carl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria (1839-1909)
Carl Theodor was a son of Maximilian, Duke in Bavaria (1808-1888) and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria (1808-1892). He spent his idyllic childhood at the castle of Possenhofen on Lake Starnberg in the company of his numerous brothers and sisters. His most famous sibling was Elisabeth in Bavaria, Empress of Austria who will always remain Sissi, the romantic and eternally beautiful fairytale Empress. Carl Theodor’s eldest brother Ludwig Wilhelm in Bavaria (1831-1920) abdicated his rights to inherit the family estates through his morganatic marriage to the actress Henriette Mendel, later created Baroness von Wallersee. Thus Carl Theodor became the Head of the Ducal House in Bavaria.
Much like his unconventional sister Elisabeth, Carl Theodor sought to escape the constraints of Royal life. While she was consumed by fashion, extreme dieting and exercise, restless travelling, horse riding and poetry, Carl Theodor dedicated himself to medicine. In 1873, he graduated as a Doctor of Medicine from the Ludwig Maximilian University. He further specialised in ophthalmology in Vienna and Zürich. Carl Theodor began practising as an ophthalmologist in Menton before opening his own clinic on Lake Tegernsee in 1880.
In 1865, Carl Theodor married his first wife Princess Sophie of Saxony (1845-1867) who sadly passed after only two years of marriage. His second union to Infanta Maria José of Portugal (1857-1943) proved very happy and harmonious as she was fully supportive of his medical calling. The couple was blessed with five children including Elisabeth, Queen of Belgium (1876-1965) and Marie Gabrielle (1878-1912), who married Bavaria’s last Crown Prince Rupprecht (1869-1955).