Rare and fine little bee for the facing of a high dignitary' - Lot 252

Lot n° 252
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Estimation :
2000 - 3000 EUR
Rare and fine little bee for the facing of a high dignitary' - Lot 252
Rare and fine little bee for the facing of a high dignitary's habit. Embroidered in gold canetille, applied to a cut-out background in beige silk velvet. First Empire period. 57 x 40 mm. Provenance : -Corsican private collection, brought from St. Helena by the Mamluk ALI, said to have been given to Queen HORTENSE and then to Madame LACROIX, her confidante. The same bees embroidered on the same type of satin are found on the facings of one of the Emperor's garments worn at his wedding to Marie-Louise. History : THE BEE, AN IMPERIAL SYMBOL According to tradition, the Emperor was looking for symbols to represent his power and a new dynasty in continuity with royalty, but breaking with the tradition of the Ancien Régime. Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, archchancellor of the Empire, told him about the bee in the following terms: "The image of a Republic with a leader". Other references to antiquity include Virgil, who saw in the organization of the beehive a perfect social model for man. As a result, bees were adopted and used endlessly, appearing on objects linked to power (thrones, flags, marshal's batons...), or on works of art of the period (porcelain, carpets, furniture, goldsmiths...). Nearly 1,500 of them, glittering in gold, were used on the purple velvet cloak worn by the Emperor at his coronation, or to enhance the canopies of thrones, palace hangings, courts and imperial administrations. Temporary importation The buyer will be required to pay import duties, i.e. 5.5% in addition to the hammer price, unless the item is immediately re-exported outside the European Union. Work in temporary import The buyer will have to pay import fees of 5.5% in addition to the hammer price, unless the buyer immediately re-exports the lot outside the European Union.
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