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47
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“DIAMOND” RING
See original version (French)
47
-
“DIAMOND” RING
See original version (French)
Estimate €20,000 - €25,000
Voluntary lot
Description
“DIAMOND” RING
Rectangular cushion-cut diamond in vintage style
18k gold (750)
Diameter: 54 – Weight: 5.1 g
Accompanied by a simplified report from the LFG certifying:
Weight: 6.86 carats
Colour: I
Clarity: SI2
Fluorescence: None
A 6.86-carat diamond and gold ring, report
Provenance:
– Émilie Sedelmeyer (1871–1961), wife of Stanislas Lami (1858–1944), passed down through the family to the present day.
Description:
This diamond belonged to Émilie Sedelmeyer (1871–1961), a society opera singer whose name remains associated with one of the most glittering circles of Parisian artistic life during the Belle Époque.
The daughter of Charles Sedelmeyer (1837–1925), a renowned art dealer and a leading figure in the international art market in the late 19th century, she grew up in a privileged world, where masterpieces by the old masters rubbed shoulders with Europe’s great fortunes, trendsetting artists and the most illustrious collectors. The portrait of her father, painted by Gabriel Ferrier and now held at the Musée Carnavalet (inv. P2657), still bears witness to the prominent position he held in Parisian society.
In 1891, she married the sculptor and art historian Stanislas Lami (1858–1944), from whom she may have acquired this diamond, thereby linking her life even more closely to the world of the arts and letters. Her brother-in-law, the society painter Václav Brožík, painted her portrait.
Émilie Sedelmeyer, now Madame Stanislas Lami, was herself an accomplished society singer, whose talent, grace and interpretative skills were celebrated by the Parisian press. In her townhouse on Rue Scheffer, she hosted one of those musical salons where the artistic and high-society elite of Paris gathered. A select audience gathered around the hostess, including, notably, the famous opera singer Blanche Marchesi, the composer Ernest Moret, the painter Henri Gervex, and Prince and Princess Petrocokino.
Alongside these artistic friendships were significant family ties. During the Great War, she showered her young cousin, Captain Charles de Gaulle—then a prisoner in Germany—with her care and concern, for which he remained deeply grateful.
Through this unique provenance, this diamond thus brings to life a whole world of refinement and elegance: that of the Parisian salons of the Belle Époque, where artists, the wealthy and the talented mingled, at a time when Paris exerted an unrivalled influence on European cultural life.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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