1810 oval pendant featuring vibrant blue guilloché enamel, a crowned initial ‘A’ of Tsar Alexander I and a foliate border set with old and rose-cut diamonds, in yellow gold and silver.
A jewel believed to have been presented by Tsar Alexander I of Russia (1777–1825), to Lieutenant General Sir Robert Arbuthnot (1773–1853), an Irish born British military commander, will come under the hammer at Elmwood’s in London on October 27. The Imperial Russian diamond and enamel jewel has descended through Arbuthnot’s family line and is offered for sale directly by his family. The reign of Tsar Alexander I was shaped by the Napoleonic Wars, particularly the French invasion of Russia in 1812 and the subsequent allied campaign that culminated in Napoleon’s abdication in 1814.
Sir Robert Arbuthnot was born in County Mayo in 1773, the fourth son of John Arbuthnot of Rockfleet. He entered the British Army in 1797 and served during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, before going on to take part in campaigns across southern Africa, South America and the Iberian Peninsula. He served in some of the most significant military campaigns of the late 18th and early 19th centuries at the heart of the conflicts that defined Europe during the age of Napoleon. The jewel is estimated at £6,000-£8,000.