The first episode is all about the Imperial crowns of the Second Empire. This, of course, made a lot of news three months ago when the brazen heist of the Louvre took place, and the Imperial crown of Empress Eugenie was stolen and then dropped. But first, we will go back to 1853.
Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was elected the first President of France in 1848, serving until the coup d’État on December 2, 1852, which declared him Emperor and marked the start of the Second Empire. The same date as his uncle/grandfather Napoleon Bonaparte’s coronation in Notre Dame in 1804.
Louis-Napoleon now became Napoleon III, and next on the list was to find a wife. In 1849, he met the beautiful and young Eugénie de Montijo, who played the long game and adapted the French girl game of hard to get for over three years. She finally gave in, and on January 30, 1853, the two were married at Notre Dame de Paris.
Now that he had his Empress, Napoleon III wanted a historic coronation, reminiscent of his uncle's, but it would never come to light. However, that didn’t stop him from having a new crown created for the would be occasion.
The 1851 Universal Exhibition in London was the first time jewels were featured, and Napoleon III wanted to be sure to show them up when it was his turn in 1855. Commissioning jeweler Alexandre Gabriel Lemonnier, jeweler to the Emperor, to create a handful of pieces representing France, including the two Imperial crowns.
The crown of Napoleon Bonaparte, which can still be seen in the Louvre today, was called the Crown of Charlemagne. Like many of the kings of France before him, who linked their monarchy to the first Holy Roman Emperor. Napoleon III was going to be different, even from his uncle.
In 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte had an updated coat of arms created, topped with a crown featuring eagles and palmettes, and it can be seen on a coin found in the Monnaie museum. This was the inspiration Napoleon III needed, and he asked Lemonnier to bring it to life.
Lemonnier collaborated with sculptors Auguste and Joseph Fannière, who created the eight eagles of the Imperial coat of arms. Jeweler Pierre Joseph Emmanuel Maher built the structure, and Lemonnier adorned it with precious stones.
To legitimize his reign, Napoleon III used a handful of Crown jewels associated with the crown of Charles X. The crown featured fleur-de-lis, an emblem the empires rejected, and was set with diamonds, including many of the important diamonds of the actual Crown Jewels of France.
Imperial Crown over the western entrance to Palais Garnier
The band of Napoleon III had a double row of diamonds and in the center 8 large diamonds, including the 29.2 c De Guise, 22.86 trapexodial diamond of Louis XVIII, 25.53 Fleur-de-Pêche, 25.82 Bapst diamond belonging to Napoleon I, 19.07 Grand Mazarin, 26.3 Marguerite cushion rectangular diamond, 17 carat oblong diamond and 18.56 oval diamond from a necklace of Marie Louise, 2nd wife of Napoleon I. Each diamond was separated by a large emerald, the personal property of the Emperor.
Above the band forming the cage are 8 large eagles with their wings extended, interspersed with 8 palmettes covered in diamonds. Separated with 16 round and oval emeralds at the base, with 8 large diamonds in the center.
The most historic of all crown jewels and one we thankfully still have, the 141 carat Regent diamond sits at the peak of the crown. A globe with a band of 34 emeralds, covered in diamonds, and topped with a cross gives the Bonaparte legacy legitimacy and the appearance of divine right to lead.
The Emperor's crown was finished on February 13, 1855, and work began on a smaller version for Empress Eugenie.
Crown of Empress Eugenie prior to the theft on October 19; 2025
The same design, except for the Regent diamond, was created by the same team of craftsmen and delivered in time for the exhibition's opening on May 15, 1855. The Empress’s crown shimmered with 1,354 diamonds, 1,136 rose-cut diamonds, and 56 emeralds, every detail a triumph of artistry. While the Emperor’s crown included 102 of the official crown jewels, Eugenie’s were all purchased by the Emperor himself through Lemonnier.
Within days of the closing of the exhibition, the large diamonds in the band and the Regent of the Emperor’s crown were removed and replaced with glass copies. While Eugenie’s was remained in one piece until October 19, 2025.
September 4, 1870, the fall of the Empire and the end of Dynastic rule in France, once and for all. The Imperial family fled to England, and what remained of the jewels was sent to an armory in Brest along with a handful of the most important paintings from the Louvre, including the Mona Lisa.
Imperial Crown at Notre Dame. Two crowns can be found over the gate of the choir.
Created under Viollet le Duc.
In 1871, the Republic began to talk about what to do with the remains of the Crown Jewels. More than just beautiful shiny gems, they were the symbol of the monarchy, and the Republic was quick to want to forever turn the page and move forward.
Some jewels needed to be returned to descendants of the Crown or compensated for them. Very few of the Second Empire's pieces could be considered Crown Jewels, as they had never been part of the Treasury and were personally purchased by Napoleon III and his family.
An 1875 inventory found that over 79,000 francs needed to be paid to the Imperial family, meaning Eugenie, as Napoleon III had died on January 9, 1873. 8 large emeralds from his crown, as well as her entire Imperial crown, were also returned.
After the death of Empress Eugenie on July 11, 1920, she left the crown to her god-daughter, Princess Marie-Clotilde Napoléon. Put up for auction in 1988, the crown was offered by benefactors, Mr and Mrs Roberto Polo, to the Musée du Louvre the same year.
Entrance to Pavillion d’horloge on Cour Napoleon side
In 1882, another inspection of the jewels resulted in a plan on what, if any, jewels would be kept and where. The rest would be sold or melted down to avoid becoming a focal point for those wanting the monarchy to return. In 1886, after fifteen years of back-and-forth in the government, the decision was made, and the final fate was clear.
Group A items to be kept and displayed in the Louvre
Group B Items transferred to the Museum and School of Mines
Group C items intended for casting
On January 11, 1887, the law was passed to dispose of the crown jewels. The rest would be sold in May 1887 within the Louvre. More on this in a future episode.
Of the Emperor’s crown, the cross from the top, and the remaining diamonds were sold in 1887. The frame was broken, then sent to the Monnaie to be melted down and was used for the 20 franc coin of the Republic.
The 8 large emeralds (from around the band) were returned to Empress Eugenie after the fall of the Emperor. The 8 large diamonds and small diamonds were sold in 1887.
50 of the small emeralds were saved and given to the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris. They have 45 now. (34 circled the orb) The 1995 inventory showed 46 stones left. disappearing sometime between 1887 and 1921. A 1921 doc mentions 15 of the larger)
Emeralds of Napoleon III normally found at the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris
The square cut emerald varies in size of .18 to .41 carats
And 8, round/oval cut from .854 to 1.339 carats
41 of the 45 are natural emeralds from Colombia, and 4 of them are just glass
What was given to the Ecole des Mines reduces the jewels to a “collection of samples” and not relics of the crown. In 2016, they were finally labeled as having been owned by the Second Empire and can be seen by the public in the very quiet museum near the Jardin du Luxembourg.
Sadly, after the theft, they have been removed for safekeeping, but do visit this museum, it’s amazing!
Grand Salon of the Appartements Napoleon III above fireplace
As news of the robbery at the Louvre the morning of October 19, 2025, spread, my first thought was the Imperial crown. The crown of Empress Eugénie is not just a precious treasure of a forgotten time. It is the only surviving representation of the Imperial crown, which, if you know where to look, is all over the Louvre, even in Notre-Dame and the Palais Garnier, and on many of Paris's streets.
Napoleon III might not be remembered for his actions as the first president or last emperor of France, but the Siege of Prussia leaves a lasting sting on his memory. However, the way Paris looks today can be largely attributed to the man himself, and he left us reminders in as many places as he could.
Napoleon III wanted to create a Paris of grand boulevards topped with beautiful buildings. Partially born from his attempted assassination and the wider streets would make it harder for gangs of people to overtake his carriage. One just has to look at the Rue Soufflot and the Pantheon or the Avenue de l’Opéra and the gorgeous Palais Garnier to see that vision come to life.
There is one place in Paris that felt the full force of Napoleon III's modernization: the Palais du Louvre. Adding an entire wing, doubling the building's footprint, expanding the museum, and decorating the endless ceilings I love so much.
Passage Rohan, rare LN for Louis Napoleon created before he became emperor
While his crown is gone, he did leave its image on the Louvre on the facade more than 200 times. Stand inside the Cour Napoleon near the pyramid, over every column, topped with one of the 86 great men of France. A band running across the entire facade holds stone versions of the Imperial crown. Also found in the bands of the Denon wing on the south side, a large version as you cross through the Pavillion d’horloge, above the initial of the Emperor, and at the top of each pavilion, large led covered versions guard over the museum. Each of the lampposts of the courtyard and high above the passage to the quai are gilded versions of the backwards N’s, which are still a great mystery to us today.
Inside the Louvre, golden versions are found in the Appartements Napoleon III alongside the regalia above the mirror of the grand salon, and in the corners and tops of the columns. In the next room, two paintings copied from the Franz Winterhalter originals that once hung in the Palais des Tuileries give us the best depiction of the Emperor’s crown. Sitting on a pillow, the crown, including the Regent diamond, was within Napoleon III's arm's reach. On the opposit wall, Empress Eugenie has her crown as well and is wearing a diamond and pearl tiara that was stolen on October 19.
A visit to the Palais Garnier will yield more crowns above the private entrance for the Emperor, who never lived long enough to use them. And in the Musée Carnavalet, the crib for the Imperial son by Victor Baltard features a stunning allegory of Paris holding the crown.
Crib by Victor Baltard