The Three Brothers (also known as the Three Brethren; German: Drei Brüder; French: Les Trois Frères) was a piece of jewellery created in the late 14th century, which consisted of three rectangular red spinels arranged around a central diamond. The jewel is known for having been owned by a number of important historical figures. After its commission by Duke John the Fearless of Burgundy, the jewel was part of the Burgundian crown jewels for almost 100 years, before passing into the possession of German banker Jakob Fugger.
The Brothers were eventually sold to Edward VI and became part of the Crown Jewels of England from 1551 to 1643. They were worn prominently by Queen Elizabeth I and King James VI and I. In the early 1640s, Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I, attempted to sell the jewel to raise funds for the English Civil War, but it is unclear if she succeeded. Its whereabouts after 1645 remain unknown.
Description
The Three Brothers remained essentially unchanged over more than 250 years. The jewel is known to have been reset at least once in 1623, but a variety of descriptions indicate that its original form and composition were retained over its entire lifespan. Originally made as a shoulder clasp or pendant, it consisted of three rectangular red spinels (then known as balas rubies) of 70 carats each in a triangular arrangement, separated by three round white pearls of 10–12 carats each, with another 18–20 carats pearl suspended from the lowest spinel. The middle of the pendant was a deep blue diamond weighing about 30 carats, in the shape of a pyramid, octahedron, or regular trisoctahedron. As there is little evidence for diamond cutting before 1400, it is likely the jeweller had merely squared off (described as "quarré" on the original invoice) its natural form. In its original form, the jewel had a size of 8.7 by 6.9 cm (3.4 by 2.7 in).
When the Brothers made their first appearance in an inventory—that of Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy in 1419—the jewel was described as:
In 1587 the Three Brothers were listed among jewels delivered to Elizabethan courtier Mary Radcliffe and described as:
Early history
The jewel was commissioned by Duke John the Fearless of Burgundy in the late 1380s, and was one of the most precious treasures of the House of Burgundy. It was created by Parisian goldsmith Herman Ruissel in 1389; the jewel's sale is recorded through a bill dated 11 October and a receipt dated 24 November, both of which are kept in the Côte-d'Or Departmental Archives in Dijon. After receiving it in the 1390s, Duke John pawned the jewel in 1412, but redeemed it at some point before 1419. When the Duke, who was a major figure in the Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War over the French throne, was assassinated during a parley with the French dauphin (the future King Charles VII) in 1419, the Brothers were passed down to his son Philip the Good.
The jewel remained in Burgundy during Philip's reign, and on his death in 1467 was inherited by his son Charles the Bold. Charles commanded one of the most powerful armies of his time, and travelled to battles with an array of priceless artefacts as talismans, including carpets having belonged to Alexander the Great, the bones of saints, the Sancy diamond, and the Three Brothers. In his conflict with the Old Swiss Confederacy during the Burgundian Wars, Charles suffered a catastrophic rout in March 1476, when he was attacked outside the village of Concise in the Battle of Grandson. Forced to flee in haste, Charles left behind his artillery and an immense booty, including his silver bath, the ducal seal, and the Brothers, all of which were looted from his tent by the confederate army. The pendant was sold to the magistrates of the city of Basel, who had the piece assessed by a Venetian expert. The city also commissioned a watercolour miniature painting at a scale of 1:1 to aid with an eventual sale, which provides the earliest visual record of the Brothers (as of 2022 in the Basel Historical Museum). The jewel disappeared from view during the next years, as the magistrates feared that the House of Habsburg, inheritors of the Duchy of Burgundy, would reclaim goods that they considered as having been stolen from Charles. The jewel was at last put on the market in 1502, with two magistrates acting as straw men for the city to ensure plausible deniability.