Marie-Étienne Nitot (2 April 1750 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

– 9 September 1809) was a French jeweller, the official jeweller to the

Emperor Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, and the founder of the House of Chaumet.

History

Nitot's family was from

Château-Thierry Château-Thierry () is a French commune situated in the department of the Aisne, in the administrative region of Hauts-de-France, and in the historic Province of Champagne. The origin of the name of the town is unknown. The local tradition att ...

, he himself was born in Paris on 2 April 1750. After being an apprentice to Aubert, court jeweller to Queen

Marie-Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and ...

, he moved to Paris in 1780. He survived the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

and, in 1802, was appointed jeweller to Emperor Napoleon. With the help of his son François Regnault (1779–1853), Nitot created jewellery symbolizing the power that Napoleon wished to convey. These include the wedding jewels of

Josephine de Beauharnais Josephine may refer to: People * Josephine (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Josephine (singer), a Greek pop singer Places *Josephine, Texas, United States *Mount Josephine (disambiguation) * Josephine Coun ...

and

Marie Louise of Austria french: Marie-Louise-Léopoldine-Françoise-Thérèse-Josèphe-Lucie it, Maria Luigia Leopoldina Francesca Teresa Giuseppa Lucia , house = Habsburg-Lorraine , father = Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor , mother = Maria Theresa of ...

. Nitot also designed Napoleon's coronation crown, his ceremonial sword and many other court ornaments. Marie-Étienne Nitot also played an active role with his son into re-assembling the Crown Treasury (''Trésor de la Couronne'') dismantled and spread apart during and after the French revolution, and were exclusive providers of precious stones to Napoleon. Marie-Étienne Nitot died in 1809. Napoleon appointed his son François Regnault Nitot to succeed him. François Regnault Nitot operated until the fall of the empire in 1815.''Nouvelles acquisitions du Département des objets d'art du Musée du Louvre.'' Département des objets d'art - 2003 "François-Regnault Nitot Paris, 1779-1853 : Après l'avoir secondé, il succède en 1809 à son père, Marie-Étienne Nitot, à la tête de la maison de joaillerie du 36, place du Carrousel; la maison est transférée 15, place Vendôme en ..." Nitot then sold his business to his foreman, Jean-Baptiste Fossin (1786-1848).

Work

As official jeweller to Napoleon, Nitot made a number of significant pieces. He designed the

Napoleon Tiara The Napoleon Tiara was a papal tiara given to Pope Pius VII in June 1805 a few months after he presided at the coronation of Napoleon I and Joséphine de Beauharnais. While lavishly decorated with jewels, it was deliberately too small and heavy to ...

and the Imperial Sword. He also designed the ''Cameo Tiara'' for Joséphine before 1810, but no portraits of Joséphine wearing the Cameo exists (only one portrait of her daughter Hortense wearing the Cameo and dating from 1812 exists). Marie-Étienne Nitot actually designed Joséphine's entire Emerald Parure that belongs today to the Royal family of Norway. The Leuchtenberg sapphire

parure A parure () is a set of various items of matching jewelry, which rose to popularity in early 19th-century Europe. Terminology A parure typically consists of a combination of a matching necklace, earrings, brooch, bracelet and often a diadem or tia ...

, now part of the Swedish royal family jewel foundation, is attributed to Nitot. The sapphires are thought to have been a wedding gift from Napoleon to his step-daughter

Princess Augusta of Bavaria french: Auguste Amélie Louise Georgie , spouse = , issue = Joséphine, Queen of Sweden and Norway Eugénie, Princess of Hohenzollern-Hechingen Auguste, 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg Amélie, Empress of Brazil Théodoline, Countess Wilhelm of Wü ...

Duchess of Leuchtenberg Duke of Leuchtenberg was a title created twice by the monarchs of Bavaria for their relatives. The first creation was awarded by Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria to his son Maximilian Philipp Hieronymus, upon whose death without children the land ...

and then passed to the Swedish royal family with Queen Josephine.

Gallery

File:Marie Louise Diadem.jpg,

Marie Louise Diadem The Marie Louise Diadem is a diamond and turquoise diadem on permanent display at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C.. It is named for Marie Louise of Austria, the wife of Emperor Napoleon of France. Description The design ...

by Francois Regnault Nitot. File:Napoleon Diamond Necklace.jpg,

Napoleon Diamond Necklace The Napoleon Diamond Necklace is a diamond necklace commissioned by Napoleon I of France c. 1811–1812 from the Paris-based jeweler Marie-Étienne Nitot. It is currently on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Wa ...

. File:Royal Wedding Stockholm 2010-Slottsbacken-07 edit.jpg, Cameo tiara, now in the Swedish Royal Family. File:Sílvia da Suécia (meio corpo).jpg, Queen Silvia wearing the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure.

References

1750 births 1809 deaths French jewellers 18th-century French businesspeople 19th-century French businesspeople Material culture of royal courts {{France-business-bio-stub