On Tuesday, June 17th, the Furniture & Work of Art department will be auctioning the most ancient and faithful replica known to this day of the legendary Queen’s necklace, one of only three representations of it in the word to date.

A symbol of one of the greatest scandals of the Ancien Régime, this necklace of almost 650 diamonds worth 2,800 carats, commissioned by Louis XV for his favourite Madame du Barry, became the centerpiece of a famous swindle orchestrated by Jeanne de La Motte, involving Marie-Antoinette without her knowledge. Although she never wore the necklace or took part in this deception, the Queen’s reputation was permanently tarnished by the affair.

Made after the lost original model, this replica comes from the collection of the family of Geneva jeweller Lucien Baszanger (1890-197), a descendant of de Bassenge.

Made of silver and metal alloy, and set with imitation stones on paillon, it faithfully follows the “slave” composition of the original model. Its striking resemblance to the annotated engraving of the Bibliothèque National de France led it being used in cinema, notably in the movie L’Affaire du collier de la Reine (1946) and exhibited at the Château de Versailles in 1955.

Born in Amsterdam, Lucien Baszanger, carried on the family legacy by founding a jewellery house in Geneva in 1914, specializing in antique jewellery. Passed down from generation to generation, this historic replica is now being offered at auction for the first time.  

The Affair of the Queen's Necklace, which took place between 1784 and 1786, remains one of the most resounding scandals of the French court. This swindle, whose trial aroused public outrage, contributed to discrediting the monarchy and precipitating the Revolution.

It all began under Louis XV, when the jewellers Böhmer and Bassenge created a sumptuous necklace - containing almost 650 diamonds and around a hundred pearls - for his favourite Madame du Barry. When the king died in 1774, the work remained unfinished and unsold. Ruined, the jewellers tried in vain to offer it to the new royal couple, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.

In 1784, ten years after the creation of the necklace, Jeanne de La Motte, a ruined young countess, seized the opportunity. Taking advantage of Cardinal de Rohan's disgrace with the Queen and the financial distress of the jewellers, she orchestrated a remarkably audacious swindle. Pretending to be Marie-Antoinette's intermediary, she persuaded the cardinal that the sovereign secretly wanted to acquire the necklace. Falsified letters, a nocturnal meeting with a lookalike of the Queen, a forged repayment contract, and even a child psychic all play their part in this skilful staging. Deceived, the Cardinal bought the jewel for 1.6 million pounds and gave it to Jeanne, who had the diamonds dismantled before selling them abroad.

The affair came to light on August 14th, 1785. The Cardinal was arrested, and Jeanne and her accomplices imprisoned. Although she had nothing to do with the fraud, Marie-Antoinette was violently attacked by public opinion, which was convinced that she could have indulged in such secret spending. The affair had a lasting effect on her image and fuelled an irreversible climate of mistrust towards the monarchy.