Art Deco Emerald, Diamond And Enamel Brooch, By Hennell, Circa 1925
photo: bonhams
A truly remarkable emerald brooch belonging to the aristocratic beauty who inspired Sir Walter Scott's famous narrative poem, The Lady of the Lake, is being offered for sale for the first time at Bonhams later this month (24 September 2019).
Bonhams London is selling an Art Deco emerald, diamond and enamel brooch once belonging to the Victorian adventuress, literary muse and heiress of a "cursed" family, Lady Mary Hood, at its London Jewels auction, which will be held in its New Bond Street saleroom.
photo: bonhams
The Persian-engraved emerald that forms the centerpiece of the unique brooch is believed to have been presented to Lady Hood by the Mughal Emperor Akbar II around 1813 during her travels across India.
She was reputedly the first British woman to shoot a tiger, acquired a taste for smoking the hookah pipe and her Indian journals and correspondence provided vivid portraits of events and personages during the early 19th century.
The unique engraved octagonal-cut Colombian emerald stone dates back to 1813-1814, and sits within a frame of black enamel, brilliant and single-cut diamonds and mounted in platinum, which was thought to have been created around 1925 by the distinguished British society jeweller Hennell.
