An anonymous auction, mysterious jewels and the ghost of Franco
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An Art Deco-style emerald necklace and earrings made by Cartier and a large diamond engagement ring are among a glittering array of jewellery to be auctioned at Christie’s in London later this month.
The collection, entitled Important Jewels, which includes gems which once adorned members of the British aristocracy or European royal families, will go under the hammer on 27 November.
The catalogue makes much of some of the blue-blooded owners but oddly, perhaps, there is little hint as to the identity of who is selling items 351-353, except that they are the property of “an important Spanish family”.
However, families of victims of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco are certain these three pieces of jewellery, which together are valued at £350,000, were put up for sale by the heirs of the man who ruled Spain with an iron fist for 36 years between 1939 and his death in 1975.
The Association for the Recovery of the Historical Memory (ARMH), which fights for the rights of the victims of Franco, has demanded Spain’s socialist government investigates the provenance of this jewellery before allowing dictator’s family to benefit from its sale.
ARMH has written to the Spanish embassy in London to demand that Christie’s disclose the documents which accredit the Franco family with ownership, adding that if it does not it could be “accessory” to an illegal sale.
According to campaigners, the jewellery is the latest example of how during Franco’s long rule, he exploited his position as the undisputed caudillo (leader) of Spain to plunder the state and private businesses as he pleased. They say this fortune has been passed on to his seven grandchildren, who dispute this assertion.
The last time the emerald necklace and earrings were seen in public was 2016 when they were worn by Margarita Vargas, the wife of Luis Alfonso de Borbon, one of the dictator’s great grandchildren.
However, the jewellery, which dates from the 1920s or 1930s, was originally owned by Carmen Polo, Franco’s wife, who died in 1988. She was renowned for her taste in rings, necklaces and earrings but was not so well known for paying her bills.
“Jewellers in Madrid had to be prepared because when Franco’s wife came to visit, she took what she wanted and never paid for anything,” said Emilio Silva, president of ARMH.