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Sotheby’s Says a Diamond Brooch Lost by Napoleon as His Forces Fled Waterloo Sells for $4.4 Million

A staff member holds a 132.66 carats green beryl worn by Emperor Napoleon I at his coronation and an old mine-cut diamond brooch or pendant owned by Emperor Napoleon I during an auction preview for Sotheby’s in Geneva, Switzerland, November 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A staff member holds a 132.66 carats green beryl worn by Emperor Napoleon I at his coronation and an old mine-cut diamond brooch or pendant owned by Emperor Napoleon I during an auction preview for Sotheby’s in Geneva, Switzerland, November 6, 2025. (Reuters)
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Sotheby’s Says a Diamond Brooch Lost by Napoleon as His Forces Fled Waterloo Sells for $4.4 Million

A staff member holds a 132.66 carats green beryl worn by Emperor Napoleon I at his coronation and an old mine-cut diamond brooch or pendant owned by Emperor Napoleon I during an auction preview for Sotheby’s in Geneva, Switzerland, November 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A staff member holds a 132.66 carats green beryl worn by Emperor Napoleon I at his coronation and an old mine-cut diamond brooch or pendant owned by Emperor Napoleon I during an auction preview for Sotheby’s in Geneva, Switzerland, November 6, 2025. (Reuters)

A diamond brooch that French emperor Napoleon lost while fleeing from the Battle of Waterloo in the early 19th century sold for more than 3.5 million Swiss francs (about $4.4 million) at a Geneva auction on Wednesday, Sotheby's said.

The brooch, which can also be worn as a pendant, features an oval diamond weighing over 13 carats surrounded by smaller cut diamonds. The sale price vastly outstripped the high end of the pre-sale estimate of 200,000 francs.

The hammer price was 2.85 million francs, excluding fees and other charges that were included in the final aggregate price.

The circular jewel was found in a stash of Napoleon's personal belongings in carriages that got held up on muddy roads as he and his troops fled the Duke of Wellington's British forces and the Prussian army under Field Marshal von Blücher, Sotheby's said.

For more than two centuries, the jewels featured as part of heirlooms of the Prussian Royal House of Hohenzollern. Sotheby's did not disclose the identity of the seller, and said that the buyer was a "private collector."

Among dozens of lots on the block was a green beryl weighing over 132 carats, which Napoleon was said to have worn at his 1804 coronation. The jewel sold for a hammer price of 838,000 francs, or more than 17 times the high-end pre-sale estimate.

One diamond expert said the sale took on added allure in the wake of the much-ballyhooed robbery of Napoleonic jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris last month.

"Given the recent Louvre heist and the provenance of arguably the most famous French figure in history, I’m not surprised the jewel achieved a majestic 3.5 million francs," said Tobias Kormind, managing director of online jeweler 77 Diamonds. "The brooch arrives at a moment of renewed global fascination with Napoleonic jewels, and its story is irresistible."

Later Wednesday, Sotheby's was holding a "high jewelry" auction featuring a 10-carat pink diamond tentatively known as the "Glowing Rose," which is expected to fetch about $20 million. The stone was unearthed in Angola’s Lulo mine.

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Culture

Hadrami Dan Added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List

The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X
The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X
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Hadrami Dan Added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List

The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X
The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X

The Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee of UNESCO, during its ongoing 20th session in New Delhi, included the Hadrami Dan on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Hadrami Dan is a traditional performance and community gathering that combines spontaneous poetry, music and dance, widespread practiced across Hadhramaut Governorate. A typical Hadrami Dan gathering includes at least one singer and poet, with the audience seated in rows or circles.

Yemen’s Ambassador to UNESCO Mohammed Jumaih said the Hadrami Dan deserves this recognition, following a long and diligent process to reach this goal.

Jumaih thanked the Ministry of Culture and its staff, and the National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science.

He offered special gratitude to the Hadhramaut Foundation for Culture, which undertook the preparation and financing of the nomination file.

He also expressed his appreciation to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee, its Chairperson (India’s Ambassador to UNESCO, Vishal Sharma), the committee members, its secretariat, and the Evaluation Body experts for their efforts.

Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Muammar Al-Eryani in the Yemeni government said this achievement represents “a well-deserved international recognition of one of the most important creative expressions in Hadhramaut and Yemen in general.”

The Hadrami Dan embodies the depth of Yemeni cultural identity, which successive generations have preserved despite the harsh transformations the country has undergone, he said.

Al-Eryani added that it is the result of a joint national effort involving the Ministry of Culture and the Hadhramaut Foundation for Culture, alongside the prominent role played by Jumaih in following up on the issue within UNESCO.

Culture

Saudi Arabia: Najran Cultural Tent Contributes to Passing Cultural Heritage Across Generations

As part of the festival’s broader activities, the cultural tent aims to preserve folk heritage. SPA
As part of the festival’s broader activities, the cultural tent aims to preserve folk heritage. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: Najran Cultural Tent Contributes to Passing Cultural Heritage Across Generations

As part of the festival’s broader activities, the cultural tent aims to preserve folk heritage. SPA
As part of the festival’s broader activities, the cultural tent aims to preserve folk heritage. SPA

The cultural tent at Najran Al-Ruqsh Festival has emerged as one of the event’s most prominent attractions, drawing visitors of all ages, particularly those interested in the region’s rich cultural heritage and historical legacy, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The tent featured a dedicated corner for activities, stories, and traditional narratives, where elderly community members shared their experiences and memories with younger generations, SPA said on Saturday.

Through these interactions, they highlighted aspects of local heritage and recounted stories from the past that reflected daily life, social values, and inherited customs that have shaped Najran’s identity over generations.

As part of the festival’s broader activities, the cultural tent aims to preserve folk heritage, strengthen its presence in the community’s collective memory, and present it to current and future generations in a manner that balances authenticity with modernity, thereby promoting the region’s cultural identity.

Culture

Jeddah Book Fair Highlights Saudi Manga and Comics’ Rise from Hobby to Professionalism

Manga zone at Jeddah Book Fair captivates visitors with creative content, comics. (SPA)
Manga zone at Jeddah Book Fair captivates visitors with creative content, comics. (SPA)
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Jeddah Book Fair Highlights Saudi Manga and Comics’ Rise from Hobby to Professionalism

Manga zone at Jeddah Book Fair captivates visitors with creative content, comics. (SPA)
Manga zone at Jeddah Book Fair captivates visitors with creative content, comics. (SPA)

A dialogue session held on the main stage of the Jeddah Book Fair 2025, organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, discussed the rapid transformations taking place in the manga and comics sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the title "The Saudi Manga and Comics Wave: From Hobby to Professionalism."

The session began by outlining the features of the creative renaissance in these art forms, explaining how they evolved in just a few years from individual initiatives and youthful hobbies to a mature artistic movement and a cultural vision embraced by institutions, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The session highlighted the development of manga and comics in Saudi Arabia and the challenges and opportunities artists face as they transition from hobby to professional practice. It reviewed the local scene, which has seen a broad presence, bolstered by media platforms that support Saudi productions and help spread this art form among the public.

The session explained that manga and comics in Saudi Arabia have developed a clear artistic identity that reflects Saudi cultural values such as generosity, courage, and humanity. It emphasized that professionalism depends on an integrated system encompassing concept, story writing, illustration, and design.

The session concluded by highlighting the most prominent professional challenges in this field, while stressing that human creativity remains the key factor of manga and comics production and the true engine of this art form's development.