CE BOLIN, attributed to - Lot 1

CE BOLIN, attributed to Fine pearls and diamonds brooch, attributed to CE Bolin Line shape set with round old-cut diamonds and adorned at each end with a fine pear-shaped cream-brown pearl, one of the pearls pierced through, weight of pearls: 4.14 carats and 6.80 carats, length: 5.6cm, gross weight: 13.19grs. Set in 18K yellow gold, pin in 14K gold, probably Swedish work from the first half of the 20th century. In a shaped case by C.E Bolin. Accompanied by a certificate from the Laboratoire Français de Gemmologie attesting that the pearls are fine, sea water. A natural pearl, diamond, 18K gold and 14K gold brooch, attributed to Bolin - BOLIN - There are houses that write legends and keep them alive. House of Bolin is one of them. Three words that tell of all the splendor of Russia and the imperial court, but also bear witness to a family history that began in late XVIIIᵉ century St. Petersburg. It is often thought - wrongly - that only the Fabergé house was the sole jeweler of the imperial family, but the discreet and renowned Bolin house had the honors of the Romanovs for many generations, brilliantly accompanying five sovereigns. Let's go back in time to 1790, when Andreas Römpler, an immigrant from the Kingdom of Saxony, settled in St. Petersburg. Registered as a diamond dealer, he established himself in the prosperous Russian city, where foreign jewelers were favored by Empress Catherine II of Russia. It was here that he met his wife Anna and started a family. Within a few years, he forged a solid reputation and became a supplier to Czar Alexander I. He then married one of his daughters to another court jeweler: Gottlieb Ernest Jahn. It was the latter who took over the business initiated by Römpler after his death in 1829. In the same year, he recruited a Swedish accountant, Carl Edvard Bolin (figure 1), who became the husband of Römpler's youngest daughter, Ernestine Catherine. In 1836, Jahn died, and the company changed its name shortly afterwards to Bolin & Jahn. Winning international awards and medals, the company prospered and grew, becoming known far beyond Russia's borders for its sumptuous jewelry. In 1843, the company created the Vladimir tiara (figure 2), as well as the piece worn by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna: a fabulous tiara adorned with 113 fine pearls. Buoyed by his success, Carl Edvard's brother Henrik Conrad opened a company in Moscow in partnership with Englishman James Stuart Shanks. The company became known as Shanks & Bolin. In 1864, Carl Edvard's sons took over the company after their father's death, renaming it C. E. Bolin. Business continued to flourish for Henrik Conrad, who was succeeded by his son Wilhelm on his death in 1888. Ties between the two companies remained close, and it was Wilhelm who opened the Moscow branch of C. E. Bolin Moscow branch. The absence of heirs in St. Petersburg led Wilhelm to take over all the stores. C. E. Bolin was replaced by W. A. Bolin in 1912. The troubled context of the early years of the XXᵉ century offered Bolin the opportunity to open a boutique in Germany, in Bad Homburg, a renowned spa town where the Russian imperial family spent their summers. With the outbreak of the First World War, the company relocated to Sweden, the family having never denied their Swedish nationality. The Russian Revolution confiscated the family's property, and they lost all their possessions in Russia. The house, now Swedish, never left the country, and Wilhelm never returned to Russia. Figure 1: Car Edvard Bolin. Oil on canvas in the Hermitage Museum. Self-portrait painted between 1931 and 1840. Figure 2: The Vladimir or Wladimir tiara is now kept in England. ***** There are houses that write legends and continue to keep them alive. House of Bolin is one of them. Three words that evoke the splendor of Russia and the imperial court, but also tell the story of a family history that began in late 18th-century Saint Petersburg. It is often mistakenly believed that only the House of Fabergé was the sole jeweler to the imperial family, but the discreet and renowned House of Bolin enjoyed the favor of the Romanovs for many generations, brilliantly serving five sovereigns. Let's go back in time to 1790, when Andreas Römpler, an immigrant from the Kingdom of Saxony, settled in Saint Petersburg. Registered as a diamond merchant, he established himself in the prosperous Russian city, where foreign jewelers were favored by Empress Catherine II of Russia. It was in this city that he met hi