John Francillon
Encyclopedia
John Francillon was a jeweler and lapidary
, an English
naturalist
and an entomologist of Huguenot
descent.
Francillon was a London
jeweller
who was also a dealer in natural history specimens and paintings. He was the agent for John Abbot selling his American
bird and natural history illustrations. He maintained a large insect collection. Some of his butterflies appear in the Icones of William Jones
. He was a Fellow
of the Linnean Society.
. Francillon drew the diamond in plan and elevation, coloring the plan drawing to match the deep blue color of the stone. Below the drawings he wrote notes to explain that he had been given permission to draw the gem by its owner, Eliason, and that it was " ... a very curious superfine deep blue Diamond."
"There is other evidence which places a 44-carat blue diamond in England at least as early as 1812." George Frederick Kunz
, a distinguished American gemologist, told of finding two detailed sketches of the Hope Diamond made by a Soho lapidary in 1812. As he explained in an article in the Saturday Evening Post , Kunz discovered the sketches in an old book by Pouget that he found one day while browsing in Quartich's bookshop in London.
It is now known that this rare blue diamond was once part of the missing Royal and Imperial crown jewels of France. It was commonly known as the French Blue and had been set into Louis XV's jeweled insignia for the Order of the Golden Fleece
. The French Blue had been stolen on September 11, 1792 along with most of the French Crown Jewels
and was never recovered.
The Francillon Memo is the first record of the diamond which would come to be known as the Hope Diamond
. Francillon's drawing is dated two days after the statute of limitations for recovering French stolen property in the Napoleonic code
had expired. Who sold the stone to Eliason is unclear, as is how long it was in his possession before he allowed Francillon to view and draw it. Also a mystery is who authorized the cutting of the French Blue to form the Hope Diamond.
The Francillon Memorandum says:
"The above drawing is the exact size and shape of a very curious superfine deep blue Diamond. Brilliant cut, and equal to a fine deep blue Sapphire. It is beauty full and all perfection without specks or flaws, and the color even and perfect all over the Diamond. I traced it round the diamond with a pencil by leave of Mr. Daniel Eliason and it is as finely cut as I have ever seen in a Diamond. The color of the Drawing is as near the color of the Diamond as possible. Dated: 19th September, 1812. John Francillon, No. 29 Norfolk Street, Strand, London."
The Francillon Memorandum remains in the Pouget book today, in the George Frederick Kunz Collection of the United States Geological Survey
Library in Reston, Virginia. The Pouget book was donated to the USGS as part of Mr. Kunzs' private library after his death in 1933.
a gentleman much esteemed for his amiable manners and conduct throughout life, and possessed of a superb cabinet of foreign insects the assiduous labour and cost of many years."
Lapidary
A lapidary is an artist or artisan who forms stone, mineral, gemstones, and other suitably durable materials into decorative items such as engraved gems, including cameos, or cabochons, and faceted designs...
, an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
and an entomologist of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
descent.
Francillon was a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
jeweller
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
who was also a dealer in natural history specimens and paintings. He was the agent for John Abbot selling his American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bird and natural history illustrations. He maintained a large insect collection. Some of his butterflies appear in the Icones of William Jones
William Jones (naturalist)
William Jones was an English naturalist and entomologistWillam Jones who was a wealthy wine merchant in London. His interest in natural history led to his being elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London in 1791....
. He was a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Linnean Society.
The Francillon Memo
In September 1812 Francillon was allowed to trace around an unset 45.5 carats (9.1 g) blue cushion-shaped diamond in the possession of the diamond merchant Daniel EliasonDaniel Eliason
Daniel Eliason was a London diamond merchant in the late 18th century and early 19th century. A blue diamond with the same shape, size, and color as the Hope Diamond was recorded in his possession in September 1812, the earliest point when the history of the Hope Diamond can be definitively fixed....
. Francillon drew the diamond in plan and elevation, coloring the plan drawing to match the deep blue color of the stone. Below the drawings he wrote notes to explain that he had been given permission to draw the gem by its owner, Eliason, and that it was " ... a very curious superfine deep blue Diamond."
"There is other evidence which places a 44-carat blue diamond in England at least as early as 1812." George Frederick Kunz
George Frederick Kunz
George Frederick Kunz was an American mineralogist and mineral collector.- Overview :Kunz was born in New York City, USA, and began an interest in minerals at a very young age. By his teens, he had amassed a collection of over four thousand items, which he sold for four hundred dollars to the...
, a distinguished American gemologist, told of finding two detailed sketches of the Hope Diamond made by a Soho lapidary in 1812. As he explained in an article in the Saturday Evening Post , Kunz discovered the sketches in an old book by Pouget that he found one day while browsing in Quartich's bookshop in London.
It is now known that this rare blue diamond was once part of the missing Royal and Imperial crown jewels of France. It was commonly known as the French Blue and had been set into Louis XV's jeweled insignia for the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
. The French Blue had been stolen on September 11, 1792 along with most of the French Crown Jewels
French Crown Jewels
The French Crown Jewels were the crowns, orb, sceptres, diadems and jewels that were the symbol of royalty and which were worn by many Kings and Queens of France. The set was finally broken up, with most of it sold off in 1885 by the Third French Republic...
and was never recovered.
The Francillon Memo is the first record of the diamond which would come to be known as the Hope Diamond
Hope Diamond
The Hope Diamond, also known as "Le bleu de France" or "Le Bijou du Roi", is a large, , deep-blue diamond, now housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. It is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but exhibits red...
. Francillon's drawing is dated two days after the statute of limitations for recovering French stolen property in the Napoleonic code
Napoleonic code
The Napoleonic Code — or Code Napoléon — is the French civil code, established under Napoléon I in 1804. The code forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion, and specified that government jobs go to the most qualified...
had expired. Who sold the stone to Eliason is unclear, as is how long it was in his possession before he allowed Francillon to view and draw it. Also a mystery is who authorized the cutting of the French Blue to form the Hope Diamond.
The Francillon Memorandum says:
"The above drawing is the exact size and shape of a very curious superfine deep blue Diamond. Brilliant cut, and equal to a fine deep blue Sapphire. It is beauty full and all perfection without specks or flaws, and the color even and perfect all over the Diamond. I traced it round the diamond with a pencil by leave of Mr. Daniel Eliason and it is as finely cut as I have ever seen in a Diamond. The color of the Drawing is as near the color of the Diamond as possible. Dated: 19th September, 1812. John Francillon, No. 29 Norfolk Street, Strand, London."
The Francillon Memorandum remains in the Pouget book today, in the George Frederick Kunz Collection of the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
Library in Reston, Virginia. The Pouget book was donated to the USGS as part of Mr. Kunzs' private library after his death in 1933.
Media
- A small image of Francillon's memorandum can be seen at PBS Treasures of the World page which provides details of the Hope Diamond's provenance.
- The Francillon Memo is pictured in highlights for a December 2010 special on the "Secrets of the Hope Diamond" for the National Geographic Channel.
Obituary
"June 23 John Francillon esq. of Norfolk Street StrandStrand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
a gentleman much esteemed for his amiable manners and conduct throughout life, and possessed of a superb cabinet of foreign insects the assiduous labour and cost of many years."
Further reading
- Ian Balfour, Famous Diamonds, London: William Collins & Sons, Publishers, 1987. hardcover, ISBN 0004122461.
- Marian Fowler, Hope: Adventures of a Diamond, Ballantine (March, 2002), hardcover, ISBN 0-345-44486-8.
- Kunz, George F., Ray M. B. (1928) "The gem collector in Europe." Saturday Evening Post, January 21, 1928, pp. 33–34, 36, 38.
- Richard KurinRichard KurinDr. Richard Kurin is an American cultural anthropologist, museum manager and author. He is the Under Secretary for History, Art and Culture at the Smithsonian responsible for most the Smithsonian’s national museums as well as a variety of cultural and educational programs.For two decades served as...
, Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem, New York: HarperCollins Publishers & Smithsonian Press, 2006. hardcover, ISBN 0060873515. - Patch, Susanne Steinem. Blue mystery: the story of the Hope diamond. [Washington, D.C.]; New York: Abrams, 1999. 92 pages: ill. (some col.); 18 cm. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in association with Harry N. Abrams, Inc., publishers. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0810927977.
- Pouget, Jean Henri Prosper. 1762. Traité des pierres précieuses et de la maniere de les employer en parure. Paris: Chez l'auteur [etc.], 1762. 88 pages, 79 leaves of plates: color illustrations; 25 cm. In the USGS Library, Reston, Virginia; the publication is part of the George Frederick Kunz Collection. Library copy 2 includes Francillon Memorandum and diamond illustration dated September 19, 1812. Copy 1 lacks illustration. Notes: Engraved illustrated t.-p. after original design by J.B. Piauger. Plates engraved by Mlle, Raimbau. "Catalogue des auteurs," p. 35-39.