Victor LEMOINE, jeweler (1815-1891). - Lot 255

Lot n° 255
Go to lot
Estimation :
8000 - 12000 EUR
Victor LEMOINE, jeweler (1815-1891). - Lot 255
Victor LEMOINE, jeweler (1815-1891). Magnificent imperial crown from a Grand-Croix de la Légion d'honneur insignia. A jewelry model of the highest quality. Gold (18K), enamel and diamonds (approx. 207 diamonds, various sizes). T.T.B. to SUP. Second Empire period. Height with ring: 54 mm. Width: 37 mm. Weight: 26.88g. Provenance : -Acquired by Countess Viviane de WITT from New York dealer Fred Leighton. Related works : - Insigne de Grand-Croix de la Légion d'honneur attributed to Napoléon III, (Lemoine fils, H. 118. L. 72 mm), Paris, Musée de la Légion d'honneur, deposit of Antonio B. Spada. - Insignia of Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor by Eugène Rouher, (Lemoine fils, H. 115. L. 71 mm), Paris, Musée de la Légion d'honneur, Inv. 05996 (acquired 1965). Historical background: This imperial crown is the only surviving element of the jewelled insignia of the Grand-Croix de la Légion d'honneur, probably destroyed for its stones. Of great refinement of execution, it can be attributed to the Maison Ouizille-Lemoine, supplier to the Grande Chancellerie, which produced several sets of jewelled Grand-Croix during the Second Empire, for use by the Emperor, foreign sovereigns such as Sultan Abdul Medjid, the King of Siam or the Bey of Tunis, or high-ranking French dignitaries such as the Ministers of State Fould and Rouher, for whom Emperor Napoleon III intended this particular mark of esteem. In 1832, Armand-Luc Ouizille (1784-1878) joined forces with his brother-in-law André-Guillaume Lemoine (1791-1871). From a long line of jewelers, he had taken over the Halbout workshop, supplier to the Grande Chancellerie under the First Empire. In 1852, the company passed to Guillaume's son Victor Lemoine (1815-1891), who in 1863 transferred the family workshops from rue du Bac to rue Duphot. Temporary import The buyer will have to pay an import fee of 5.5% on top of 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.
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue