PARIS, FRANCE.- At the approach of the bicentenary of the Empire, Sotheby’s has chosen the significant date of 2 December* to celebrate this event by organising a sale devoted to the « Empire » in Paris. This sale is a dazzling illustration of the Napoleonic epic and the splendours of the imperial style that was created around the glory of the great conqueror, with all his symbols of power. It brings together furniture, sculpture, silverware, paintings and drawings (about 100 lots), as well as an exceptional series of historical documents and books about Napoleon (about 170 lots). Most of them come from very prestigious provenances, such as the family of the Emperor, the marshals and the nobility of the Empire. The sale, organised in two parts, is estimated at over 1,700,000 €.
A Reflection of the Empire Period & Presigious Provenances - One of the leading lights of the sale is an exceptionally refined Athénienne in patinated and gilded bronze, attributed to Jacob frères and made around 1800-1805 after a drawing by Percier and Fontaine, the famous official architects of Napoleon. It is identical to two other examples that used to decorate the bedroom of Josephine at the Château de Saint-Cloud, and are now in the Château de Fontainebleau (lot 55, estimate: 100,000 to 120,000 € ). Atheniennes, used as washbasins or plant-holders, were very much in vogue at the end of the 18th century. Inspired by the tripod in the temple dedicated to Isis, discovered in the course of the excavations of Herculaneum in 1750, during the Empire they were adorned with ornaments such as swans or small, stylised palm leaves.
A drawing room suite in mahogany, consisting of four armchairs, two wing chairs and a sofa, comes from the collection of the Duc d’Audiffret-Pasquier. Each chair has a fluted and scrolled back and armrests with lion heads. The Duc de Pasquier, who was the Chief of Police in Paris at the end of the First Empire, adopted his nephew, the Comte d’Audiffret who became the Duc d’Audiffet-Pasquier in 1862, President of the Senate, and member of the French Academy. Four similar armchairs in painted wood were part of the furniture of the yellow drawing room in the mansion belonging to Princess Pauline Borghese in 1814, now the British Embassy in Paris (lot 54, estimate: 50,000 to 80,000 €).
One of the most symbolic objects of the sale is a small-scale version of the VendTMme Column, which belonged to Prince Victor Napoleon. nephew of the Emperor. The original of the column, made as a tribute to the ’glory of the Army of Napoleon the Great, between 25 August 1806 and 15 August 1810’, was inspired by the Trajan Column in Rome. There are three known small-scale models of the VendTMme Column: one version 1.80 metres high, commissioned by King Louis-Philippe and made by Charles-Emile-Marie Seurre in 1835, which is in the Château de Versailles; a second version made by Nicolas-Guy-Antoine Bernet, medal-maker of the Emperor, now in the Château de la Malmaison ; and a third one in the Musée de l’Armée (lot 49, estimate: 60,000 to 80,000 €).
The marble bust of Marie-Louise, Archduchess of Austria and Empress of the French, was sculpted by François-Joseph Bosio (1778-1845), the official portrait artist of Napoleon. This sculpture was commissioned in 1810 on the occasion of the second marriage of the Emperor to Marie-Louise of Austria. The new Empress is portrayed dressed in an antique style, her hair braided and curled, wearing a diadem on her head. This attractive portrait, the only one known to have been signed by Bosio, was so successful that it became her official portrait (lot 57, estimate: 55,000 to 70,000 €). Several busts of Napoleon are part of the sale, including one in marble, wearing a crown of laurel leaves, attributed to Lorenzo Bartolini around 1808 (lot 81, estimate: 20,000 to 30,000 €).
Two lots of silverware that used to belong to senior officers of Napoleon’s army, who were close to the Emperor, are part of the sale. The first item is a travel set in silver owned by Maréchal Mortier, Duc de Trévise (1768-1865), in a mahogany box, made by the silversmiths Jean-Louis Varin and Pierre-Marie de Villeclair, who were active in Paris from 1809 to 1838. Appointed Maréchal of the Empire in 1804, Mortier distinguished himself during the Prussian campaign and was made Duc de Trévise. After taking part in the campaigns of the Empire, he rallied to the side of Louis XVIII in 1814. A Deputy and peer of France, he was appointed French Ambassador to Russia at the beginning of the July Monarchy, then President of the Council and Minister of War in 1834. On 28 July 1835, Maréchal Mortier was one of the victims of the murderous attack by the Corsican, Giuseppe Fieschi, against the royal family. He is buried at Les Invalides and his name is engraved on the Arc de Triomphe (lot 28, estimate: 30,000 to 50,000 €).
The second item is a silver jam pot with twelve spoons in a case bearing the monogram of Maréchal Berthier, Prince de Wagram (1753-1815) by Marc Jacquart, Paris, 1809-1819. After joining the American War of Independence, in 1789, he was entrusted with the task of protecting the royal family. He seized Rome in 1798, and on the orders of the Directoire, arrested and deported Pope Pius VI. He was Minister of War between 1800 and 1807, and was promoted to the rank of Marshal in 1804. Being a close collaborator of the Emperor, he received the Principality of Neuchâtel in 1806 and the title of Prince de Wagram in 1809. In 1814, he rallied round to Louis XVIII and during The Hundred Days sought refuge in Bamberg, Bavaria, where he died of an accidental death in 1815 (lot 21, estimate: 8,000 to 12,000 €).
An impressive bronze bust portrays Maréchal MacDonald, Duc de Tarente (1765-1840) by Jacques-Auguste Dieudonné, made around 1824. Alexandre MacDonald, nominated Duc de Tarente after the Battle of Wagram, negotiated the abdication of Napoleon with the allies in 1814. He subsequently became a peer of France. This bust belonged to his daughter Anne Nancy MacDonald, Duchesse de Massa, and then to his descendants until it was sold a few years ago. The student of Bosio, Dieudonné (1795-1873), a sculptor and medal engraver, earned his reputation from his bust portraits, the most famous one being those of Louis-Philippe, Duc d’Orléans, and Charles X (lot 69, estimate: 7,000 to 9,000 €).
A fine ensemble composed of a clock à la Méditation and two candlesticks in the shape of a Corinthian column used to belong to Princesse Murat in her mansion in rue de Monceau in Paris. Her husband was a descendant of Joachim Murat, King of Naples and the Two Sicilies. Two clocks similar to this model were delivered in1810 to the apartment in the Fontainebleau palace and the apartment of the Empress at the Grand Trianon (estimate: clock, lot 63, 18,000 to 25,000 €; candlesticks, lot 62 : 8,000 to 12,000 €).
The most prestigious bronze smith of the Empire, Pierre-Philippe Thomire, made a pair of bowls decorated with Bacchantes (lot 89, estimate: 15,000 to 20,000 €) and two vases decorated with Fames (lot 71, estimate: 20,000 to 30,000 €). Other gilt-bronze mounted objects are of an exceptional quality, notably, a rare bowl in Swedish porphyry (lot 64, estimate 70,000 to 100,000 €-illustration) and a pair of big vases in a veneer of lapis-lazuli (lot 51, estimate: 40,000 to 60,000 €).
Among the other interesting provenances, it is worth mentioning a wing chair in mahogany by Jacob Frères / Rue Meslée, produced for the Tuileries palace bearing the fire mark of the Tuileries under the Restoration (lot 34, estimate: 10,000 to 15,000 €), as well as a couch, also in mahogany, stamped by Jacob, for the Château de Neuilly and belonging to King Louis-Philippe (lot 80. estimate: 5,000 to 7,000 €).
Finally, a rare medallion in Sèvres biscuit and porcelain, dated 1803-1804, bears a portrait of Montesquieu. It comes from the Château de Saint-Cloud, which had been decorated according to plans by Percier and Fontaine. The Emperor had commissioned a series of painted and sculpted medallions of illustrious men. Many of these no longer exist, and this method, with its combination of two different decoration techniques, is extremely rare. The plaster of this medallion is at the Manufacture de Sèvres (lot 88, estimate: 6,000 to 7,000 €).
THE PROJECT FOR THE « TABLE DES CAPITAINES » - Seventeen paintings and drawings, executed during the Empire, are part of the sale, including the superb project for the centre of the Table des Capitaines by Louis-Bertin Parant (lot 33, estimate: 20,000 to 30,000 €-illustration on front page). The profile of Alexander is in the centre of the composition, evoking Napoleon to a certain extent, surrounded by three trompe l’oeil reliefs depicting episodes in the life of the great conqueror. The final work was extremely faithful to this fine watercolour. The Table des Capitaines, was made at the Manufacture de Sèvres. Signed and dated 1812, it remained in Sèvres until 1817, when it was offered to King George V of England. It is now in Buckingham Palace. Louis-Bertin Parant exhibited his works at the Salon as of 1800, and built up a solid reputation for trompe-l’?il paintings, backed by an excellent taste for composition and drawing. In 1806, on the recommendation of Vivant Denon, Parant joined the Manufacture de Sèvres. That same year, the Emperor ordered from Sèvres the Table des Capitaines and three other similar pieces of furniture, the Table des Maréchaux now in the Musée de la Malmaison, the Table des Membres de la famille impériale and the Table des Figures antiques in the Musée Napoléon, the last two projects not having been completed.
The Portrait of an Officer on Horseback, 1814 is a fine illustration of the talent of Horace Vernet (1789-1863). After attracting attention at the Salon of 1812, he received several commissions from the Emperor’s Household, including this portrait ordered by Joseph Bonaparte. The artist had a special talent for portraying the heroism of soldiers of the Empire in a brilliant style. Théophile Gauthier described his works in the following terms: « nobody better than he could capture the military chic of a period [...] he dared to represent horses of our days, with their pedigree, gait and character [...] with the ease, speed and certainty of a master for whom no difficulties exist any more ». In this picture, the officer is wearing a colonel’s uniform, probably during the Germany campaign of 1813. It could be Marius Clary (1789-1814), nephew of two famous figures, Julie and Désirée Clary, who had distinguished himself in the Imperial army (lot 56, estimate: 50,000 to 70,000 €).
Michel Ghislain Stapleaux (1799-1881) painted numerous portraits of the intellectual society of the First Empire, including the presumed portrait of Madame de Staël reclining on a couch. This writer, who advocated a spirit of tolerance and fidelity to the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment, was one of the very few women to be admitted to the intellectual circles of men, and she was the first one to be officially recognised as a political philosopher. She was a fierce opponent of Bonaparte, and paid for her opposition by being sent into exile. But despite the ban imposed on her, she continued her activities in secret. Little is known about the career and work of the Belgian artist. The decoration and objects forming the composition indicate that the picture was painted around 1820. It is therefore probably a work of his youth, and yet one of his most ambitious paintings. Stapleaux was obviously inspired by the brilliant paintings of Gérard, who portrayed the most well known women of his period, posing elegantly in an interior, like the one of Madame Récamier belonging to the Carnavalet Museum, or the painting of Joséphine Bonaparte at Malmaison. Since the model so closely resembles Madame de Staël, it is probably a post mortem effigy, made after her death in 1817 (lot 39, estimate: 60,000 to 80,000 €).
BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS - The part dedicated to books and manuscripts is the most moving one of the sale. About 170 lots form a historic ensemble on Napoleon, covering the various episodes of his military career, the books which the Emperor spent much time reading, and the personalities who influenced him the most in matters of military strategy.
THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON I TO MARECHAL DAVOUT - A solar eagle and an iron shadow - Napoleon I and Louis-Nicolas Davout together wrote some of the finest pages of military history on the European battlefields. A Marshal of the Empire, the Duc d’Auerstaedt, the Prince Eckmühl, and Minister of War during The Hundred Days, Davout was showered with honours by Napoleon, who nevertheless retained a certain reserve, touched with a hint of jealousy, towards his faithful lieutenant with outstanding military qualities. These 144 letters were written to Davout between 1805 and 1815, signed by his hand and dictated at the violent pace of war or at the equally intense rhythm of diplomatic and military manoeuvres. They reflect an epic written with the sword and the intellect, but sometimes coloured by a surprising poetry, « the big towns usually have this character, Warsaw more than any other; they are like the surface of the sea, never the same two days in succession » (Napoleon to Davout, letter signed Np, Bayonne, 17 April 1808). The correspondence as a whole is estimated at 150,000 to 180,000 €, the estimates for each letter ranging from 600 to 3000 Euros.
CALL TO CORSICAN SOLDIERS TO OVERTHROW THE BOURBONS - The manuscript corrected and signed "napole" is a very precious and original historic document calling upon Corsicans to disobey the government of Louis XVIII and to rally round the Emperor on the continent to overthrow the Bourbons.
When the Empire collapsed, the Corsicans displayed their loyalty to the restored monarchy. Deposed and exiled, Napoleon decided to escape from the Island of Elba on 28 February 1815 to try and win back his former power. This appeal by the Emperor was probably sent in secret from the Island of Elba, which was close to Corsica, to those who had remained faithful to Napoleon in Bastia and who had formed the « Government Junta ».
This martial declaration had an immediate effect and the island rallied massively round Napoleon during The Hundred Days, as well as all the troops dispatched to stop him from when he disembarked at Golfe-Juan on 1st March (lot 222, estimate: 35,000 to 45,000 €-illustration).
PERSONAL READING OF THE EMPEROR - All contemporary reports are in agreement: Napoleon I spent a lot of time reading and he always wished to have numerous books close at hand, even during his long voyages. He not only wanted to have portable bookcases while travelling but also required libraries in all his residences. They were entrusted in the care of a librarian, first Ripault and Abbot Denine, then Antoine Barbier after 1807. He therefore had seven libraries in seven residences, at the Tuileries, Trianon, Compiègne, Rambouillet, Saint-Cloud, Fontainebleau and Laeken. In total, there were 50 to 60, 000 volumes, including texts from classical Antiquity, such as the letters by Cicero to Atticus, translated into French by Abbot Mongault...(1803), still in the binding of the period.
The books in the libraries for the personal use of the Emperor were bound in calfskin, while the prestigious books with a dedication by the author or presented as a gift dedication were bound in Morocco leather. The imperial arms were always marked on luxurious books but were only placed on some of the books in his libraries (lot 209, estimate: 1,000 to 1,500 €).
Another work from Napoleon’s library in Fontainebleau is one by a master of military strategy, Chevalier de Folard : History of Polybius, ... translated from the Greek by Vincent Thuillier with a commentary or corpus of military science (...) by M. de Folard, 1727-1730, in a binding of the period.
The presence of the imperial arms on this text is proof of Napoleon’s special interest in it. Jean-Charles Folard, better known by the name of Chevalier de Folard, exerted a great influence on many strategists at the end of the 18th century and early 19th century, such as Frederick the Great, Wurmser, Bonaparte and Davout. Folard advocated a war based on movement (with a head-on impact while resisting adversary fire) as opposed to a war of position. Napoleon was influenced by the Chevalier de Folard as well as by the Maréchal de Saxe, whose military strategy can be resumed in a few words: movement, surprise and speed (lot 214, estimate: 15,000 to 20,000 €).
THE AMERICAN DREAM - The sale will also include an exceptional illustration of the « American Dream » of Napoleon I, brought back from Saint Helena by one of his most faithful servants, Louis-Joseph-Narcisse Marchand. This is an original edition, in a binding of the period, of Vue de la colonie espagnole du Mississipi, ou des provinces de Louisiane et Floride occidentale, en l’année 1802, par un observateur résident sur les lieux de Berquin-Duvallon (View of the Spanish colony of Mississipi, or the provinces of Louisiana and western Florida, in the year 1802, by an observer residing in the place of Berquin Duvallon), with an ex-dono autograph signed "Cte Marchand" to Comte Napoléon Primoli, dated "Paris 21 March 1869".
This personal copy of Napoleon I is associated with two of the major acts of foreign policy taken by the future Emperor. The first, at the time of the First Consulate, was when he ceded Louisiana to the young Republic of the United States. But it is also connected with his brief American « dream », after the collapse of the First Empire, as well as his long exile in a distant island. After the defeat at Waterloo on 18 June 1815, Napoleon I abdicated in favour of the King of Rome and drew up a plan to go into exile in the United States. He asked Barbier, his librarian, to collect some books about the United States, which included this precious work.
On Napoleon’s death, this copy was bequeathed in his will to Louis-Joseph-Narcisse Marchand (1791-1876), the Emperor’s first valet. Napoleon, who referred to him as « his friend », made him a count on his deathbed. It was not until 1869 that Marchand parted with this precious and rare vestige on which, probably on his own initiative, the words Sainte Hélène were marked in thick gilt lettering. He sent this volume to Princess Charlotte Bonaparte for her son and Napoleon’s great grand nephew, Comte Joseph Napoléon Primoli (1851-1927), who was then 18 years old (lot 223, estimate: 45,000 to 55,000 €).
