Jérémie Pauzié
Jérémie Pauzié | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Geneva |
| Died | November 30, 1779 (aged 62) |
| Occupation(s) | Jeweler, goldsmith |
| Years active | 1740–1764 |
| Known for | Co-creation of the Imperial Crown of Russia, Principal Diamond Expert and Court Jeweller at the Russian Imperial court |
Jérémie Pauzié (; born 6 December 1716, died 30 November 1779) was a distinguished jeweler and goldsmith from Geneva, acclaimed for his association with the Russian Imperial court. He is especially noted for his joint creation of the Imperial Crown of Russia alongside Georg Friedrich Ekart, the court's principal jeweler.
Pauzié’s professional activity spanned from 1740 until 1764, during which he served as the Principal Diamond Expert and Court Jeweller. He was responsible for producing exquisite jewelry and presenting gifts to members of the Russian nobility and the Imperial family. Later in life, he chronicled his experiences in Memoirs of a Court Jeweller Pauzié, which was published by Russkaya starina in 1870.
Biography
After completing a seven-year apprenticeship under Benedict Gravero in Saint Petersburg, Pauzié established his own workshop toward the end of the 1730s. His expertise lay primarily in diamonds and precious stones, while he outsourced the crafting of noble metals. Initially catering to local aristocrats, his access to the Imperial court remained limited at first.
The death of Empress Elizabeth in 1761 marked a turning point when Pauzié was commissioned to restore a funeral crown after the chief court jeweler Ekart’s design failed to meet expectations. This opportunity elevated Pauzié’s standing within the court and positioned him as Ekart’s main competitor. During Catherine the Great’s reign, although Ekart fashioned the Imperial Crown itself, Pauzié was responsible for its elaborate jewel settings despite Ekart’s protests. Pauzié returned to Switzerland in 1764 and obtained citizenship in Geneva by 1770.
The Great Imperial Crown
Together with Georg Friedrich Ekart, the official jeweler to the Russian Imperial court, Pauzié contributed to creating the Great Imperial Crown of Russia for Catherine the Great's coronation in 1762. Designed in a classical style, this crown consists of two hemispheres made from gold and silver, representing the eastern and western divisions of the Roman Empire. These hemispheres are separated by a decorative foliate garland and secured by a low circlet.
The crown is lavishly embellished with 75 pearls and 4,936 diamonds sourced from India, arranged to depict laurel and oak leaves—traditional symbols of authority. At its apex sits a remarkable 398.62-carat ruby spinel once owned by Empress Elizabeth, surmounted by a diamond-encrusted cross.
Following its debut at Catherine’s coronation, this crown became the official coronation headpiece for all Romanov emperors until the monarchy's dissolution in 1918. Today, it remains one of the most significant treasures of the Romanov dynasty and is exhibited at the Moscow Kremlin Armoury Museum.
Exhibitions and commercial use
Artifacts crafted by Pauzié have been displayed at prominent exhibitions such as The Art of the Goldsmith & the Jeweler held in New York in 1968, and Carl Fabergé and Masters of Stone Carving: Gem Masterpieces of Russia hosted by Moscow Kremlin Museums in 2011. In 2013, French luxury conglomerate Vendôme Private Trading acquired the Jérémie Pauzié brand, further extending its footprint within the high-end jewelry sector.
Bibliography
- «Culture» Discovery. Escape of the diamond master Pauzié. January, 2015
- Notes of the Court Jeweler Jeremie Posier [Pauzie] 1729-64, ed. A A Kunin, in Russkaya Starina, 1870
- Alexander Solodkoff, Orfèvrerie russe du XVIIe au XIXe siècle, 1981,
- A la Vieille Russie, The Art of the Goldsmith & the Jeweler, 1968, no. 174, illus. p. 76
- Sidler, Godefroy, Catalogue officiel du Musée de l'Ariana, Genève, Ville de Genève / Atar, 1905. 234 p.. , p. 126, n° 47
- Eisler, William. The Dassiers of Geneva: 18th-century European medallists. Volume II: Dassier and sons: an artistic enterprise in Geneva, Switzerland and Europe, 1733-1759. Lausanne, 2005., pp. 361–362, fig. 47
- Golay, Laurent. Alexandra Karouova et al.. Suisse-Russie. Des siècles d'amour et d'oubli, 1680-2006[cat. exp. Lausanne, Musée historique, 17.02 - 21.05.2006]. Lausanne; Benteli, 2006., p. 55
- Jeffares, Neil. Dictionary of pastellists before 1800. London: Unicorn Press, 2006., p. 622