Tracing its lineage through centuries of German Saxon history, this remarkable rosary hosts a uniquely distinct provenance.

Frederick Augustus II, Crown Prince of Saxony (1797 – 1854), was the eldest son of Prince Maximilian of Saxony, and a member of the House of Wettin - one of the oldest European dynasties of German Counts, Dukes and Kings. The history of this necklace begins with Frederick’s second wife Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria (1805 – 1877), born in Munich to Maximilian I Joseph (1756 – 1825), King of Bavaria. Frederick and Maria were married in April of 1833 in Dresden, the capital city of the German state of Saxony. Within a few years, on June 6, 1836 Frederick succeeded his uncle and he and Maria became King and Queen of Saxony.

They quickly gaining popularity amongst their people and ruled over the state for nearly 20 years. Frederick and Maria left no descendants, and without legitimate heirs, Frederick’s younger brother, Johann I, assumed the throne. This emerald bead rosary continued to transcend generations of the Saxon ruling family down to Price Ernst Heinrich (1896 – 1971), the third son of Frederick Augustus III (1904 – 1918), the last King of Saxony.

Frederick Augustus II was a Roman Catholic and held ties to the Holy Roman Empire, so it is no wonder this emerald bead rosary was a treasure of Maria’s. In its original form, the rosary suspended an emerald pendant carved with the Annunciation and contained a particle of the True Cross. Set with 70 emerald beads, this rosary follows a traditional set of prayers used in the Catholic Church, which are arranged in a series of ten beads termed ‘decades’ or Hail Mary prayers, and each decade is preceded by larger bead for the Lord’s Prayer.

This exceptional rosary descended from Prince Heinrich to the Dresden Green Vaults before making its way into the private collection of Mrs. Jayne Wrightsman. Philanthropist, socialite and a paragon of sophistication, Jayne Wrightsman and her husband, Mr. Charles Wrightsman, were renowned for reviving the field of French decorative arts and were important patrons of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Louvre and the Hermitage. Jayne was a connoisseur of fine jewelry and held a keen eye for style and quality. Offered with a collection Mrs. Wrightsman’s jewels in December of 2012, this emerald and diamond rosary is not only an impressive piece of jewelry, but a significant piece of history.