Such was not the case of archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, despite the ordeals endured during her reign. Born in 1858 in Moravia (now Czech Republic), the archduchess was the daughter of archduke Karl-Ferdinand Teschen and archduchess Elisabeth Franziska, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia, a direct descendant of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor. She was recognized as an intelligent, wise, elegant and discreet young lady when King Alfonso XII of Spain, still grieving his first wife Maria de las Mercedes of Orleans, proposed to her.
After a forced exile, following the dismissal of his mother Queen Isabella II in 1868 and a short-lived first republic of Spain, Alfonso was instrumental in the return of monarchy and was crowned King Alfonso XII at the young age of 17, in January 1875. Deeply affected by the passing of his first wife after only six months of marriage, he chose to marry archduchess Maria Christina, met a few years earlier during a journey in Austria. On November 29, 1879, they were married at the Basilica of Atocha in Madrid and, as per tradition, the king offered his bride diamond jewels, some ordered to British jeweller J.P. Collins, including tiaras, bracelets, river necklaces and an exceptional devant-de-corsage.
The Queen bore King Alfonso XII two daughters, the Infanta Maria de las Mercedes and the Infanta Maria Theresa. Unfortunately, the King died prematurely in 1885 while Maria Christina was expecting their third child. She gave birth to a boy, born King Alfonso XIII on 17 May 1886, and consequently, became Regent of Spain until the majority of her son. During her sixteen years of regency, she gained the admiration of the Spanish beyond her expectations. Her great dignity, intelligence and devotion to her children and to the Spanish people made her one of the favorite queens in the history of Spain. However, she had to overcome many challenges during her years as a ruler, facing the Spanish-American War of 1898 and the signature of the 'Treaty of Paris', consequently losing some of the Hispanic colonies like Cuba or the Philippines.
King Alfonso XIII having reached his majority, Queen Regent Maria Christina abandoned her functions to become Queen Mother in 1902. She died at the age of 71, in 1929, shortly before the forced exile of her son and the beginning of a dark period of civil war and dictatorship in Spain. She remains in the memories of Spain as one of its great sovereigns, managing to gain acceptance of a country that was not hers, touched by her complete devotion to her new homeland.
Queen Maria Christina of Spain was often portrayed wearing her wedding jewels, mainly the devant-de-corsage whose impressive size, refined work and patterns reminiscent of the feur-de-lys, make it a Royal jewel par excellence. This exceptional diamond brooch remained in the family until the 1980s when it was acquired, slightly modified with the withdrawal of the original side tassels, by Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza. Baroness Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza, philanthropist and Art collector of Spanish origin, has donned this royal brooch many times, wearing it during multiple formal occasions.
This majestic jewel is the very epitome of the European Jewellery of the 19th century. Its specific shape, emphasizing the slim lines of the fashionable corseted waists, its typical motives and the traditional old cuts of its diamonds contribute to make of this devant-decorsage a rare ceremonial jewel, with illustrious provenance and of unspoiled splendor.
Christie's. MAGNIFICENT JEWELS, 13 May 2015, Geneva
