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16 mai 2011

Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery's parure on Sale at Christie's in London

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A tiara, broach and bracelet that belonged to a 19th century woman Hannah Primrose. AP Photo/Christie's

LONDON (AP).- Still can't get enough of Britain's aristocratic headgear? Following hot on the heels of the royal wedding hatwalk, the crowning jewels of the country's once wealthiest woman are being offered for sale — a Victorian pearl-and-diamond tiara, bracelet, and brooch which auction house Christie's hopes will fetch as much as 1.9 million pounds ($3.1 million).

The opulent jewels once belonged to Hannah Primrose, a socially and politically active heiress whose husband Archibald Philip Primrose would eventually become Britain's prime minister.

Born into the powerful Rothschild family, Hannah reputedly became the country's richest woman when her father died in 1874, leaving her the then-immense sum of 2 million pounds in cash, a turreted mansion in England's Buckinghamshire, and a huge stash of jewels.

She married Archibald four years later, at which point she acquired the title of Countess Rosebery, and, Christie's believes, the tiara, along with the matching brooch and bracelet. The British-made headpiece boasts 13 saltwater pearls — six button-shaped ones ringed with diamonds and seven pear-shaped pearls dangling from teardrop diamond surmounts.

Keith Penton, the auctioneer's head of jewels, said in a statement that the three-piece set was "at the heart of Lady Rosebery's vast array of magnificent jewels, which rivaled those of the crowned heads of Europe at the time. They are a rare survival of 19th century English aristocratic splendor, as so much ancestral jewelry has been sold anonymously, remounted or broken down."

Primrose, described by her husband as "very clever, very warm hearted and very shy," was a prominent philanthropist and played an active role in the organization of Britain's Liberal Party. She was also deeply devoted to her husband and his career, although her early death, in 1890, meant she never saw him accede to the premiership four years later.

Archibald Primrose took her passing badly, writing all his letters in black-bordered stationery and never remarrying. His tenure at the top of British politics was stormy and short-lived, and he died a recluse in 1929.

Christie's said that Hannah Primrose's jewels were handed down through the family and now form part of a private collection, but didn't elaborate on their current ownership. It hopes the tiara will sell for up to 1.5 million pounds as part of its important jewel sale in London on June 8. The bracelet and brooch, being sold separately, are priced at between 300,000 and 400,000 pounds. Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

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A tiara, broach and bracelet that belonged to a 19th century woman Hannah Primrose once known as Britain's wealthiest, which is due to go for auction next month, Christie's auction house said Friday May 13, 2011. AP Photo/Christie's.

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Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, Hannah de Rothschild (1851 - 1890)

Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery (27 July 1851 – 19 November 1890) was the daughter of Mayer de Rothschild and his wife Juliana, née Cohen. Upon the death of her father in 1874 she became the richest woman in Britain.

During the final quarter of the 19th century her husband, the 5th Earl of Rosebery, was one of the most celebrated figures in Britain, an influential millionaire and politician, whose charm, wit, charisma and public popularity gave him such standing that he "almost eclipsed royalty."[1] Yet his Jewish wife, during her lifetime regarded as dull, overweight and lacking in beauty, remains an enigmatic figure largely ignored by historians and often regarded as notable only for financing her husband's three ambitions: to marry an heiress, win the Epsom Derby, and become Prime Minister (the second and third of these possibly apocryphal ambitions were achieved after her death).[2] In truth, she was her husband's driving force and motivation.

Her marriage into the aristocracy, while controversial at the time, gave her the social cachet in an antisemitic society that her vast fortune could not.[3] She subsequently became a political hostess and philanthropist. Her charitable work was principally in the sphere of public health and causes associated with the welfare of working-class Jewish women living in the poorer districts of London.

Having firmly assisted and supported her husband on his path to political greatness, she suddenly died in 1890, aged 39, leaving him, distraught and bereft of her support, to achieve the political destiny which she had plotted. His premiership of the United Kingdom was shambolic, and lasted barely a year. For over thirty years following her death, he wandered in a political wilderness, directionless and exceedingly eccentric, until his own death in 1929. (Wikipedia)

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Hannah de Rothschild and her mother in the Grand Hall at Mentmore. Aged just six months, Hannah had laid the foundation stone for the great mansion on 31 December 1851. Watercolour painted circa 1863

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A painting of en:Hannah de Rothschild standing in the hall of en:Mentmore Towers painted circa 1869 by E Macimer. This painting which is over 130 years old is in the public domain by virtue of age.

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John Everett Millais (1829–1896), Portrait of Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery

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