FROM THE DESCENDANCE OF HUGUES MARET, DUC DE BASSANO Rare be - Lot 126

Lot n° 126
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Estimation :
15000 - 20000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 32 500EUR
FROM THE DESCENDANCE OF HUGUES MARET, DUC DE BASSANO Rare be - Lot 126
FROM THE DESCENDANCE OF HUGUES MARET, DUC DE BASSANO Rare bellows portfolio of the "Gazettes étrangères" that belonged to Hugues MARET, Duke of Bassano. In red morocco. Marked with a small iron on the flap " A SA MAJESTE L'EMPEREUR & ROI " and on the cover " GAZETTES ETRANGERES ". Decorated with a frame of friezes of foliage and waves. Interior lined with green morocco decorated with a frieze of interlacing, with a label of the exhibition "Three centuries of French diplomacy" n°161. Clasp and entry of lock with three points, oval, in silvered brass (wears). The key is missing. Dimensions: 24 x 33 cm. With its protective cover in red soft morocco on the sides and green silk lining (tear on one side) B.E. of use. First Empire period. History : This wallet could have been used by Maret as Minister of External Relations but also for the Black Cabinet, which obtained its information from the rape of correspondences. This cabinet was set up in 1806 and is under the authority of the General Post Office, which only communicates its findings to Lavalette, and the latter only to the Emperor. The operation of the Black Cabinet was then extremely regulated, only letters criticising the imperial family were copied. Baron Fain recalls this in his Memoirs: "At the same time as the Emperor appreciated the information that the police gave him every morning, he drew other information from a more mysterious source, where people (...) came themselves without their knowledge to reveal their passions, their activities, their intrigues and their weaknesses. The secret of the post office, contained in a small red morocco wallet and hidden under the inscription Gazettes étrangères, was thus in turn passed before the eyes of the Emperor. ». P r o v e n t o f Hu g u e s Ma r e t, 1 st Du c d e Ba s s a n o ( 1 7 6 3 - 1 8 3 9 ) a n d d d e s c e n da n c e (n°126 to 143) Related works: There are several copies of this wallet model, one of which came from the GUITRY collection. Biography: Jean Tulard, "Cabinet noir", in Jean TULARD (dir.), Dictionnaire Napoléon, Paris, Fayard, 1989, p. 317. Provenance: Hugues MARET, Duke of Bassano, then descendants. Exhibition: - "Napoleon 1769-1969", Grand Palais, June-December 1969, n°234, "Portefeuille de Maret Duc de Bassano" - "Three centuries of French diplomacy" n°161
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