Joseph Nabulion BONAPARTE, (1768-1844), Napoleon's elder bro - Lot 273

Lot n° 273
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Estimation :
4000 - 6000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 6 500EUR
Joseph Nabulion BONAPARTE, (1768-1844), Napoleon's elder bro - Lot 273
Joseph Nabulion BONAPARTE, (1768-1844), Napoleon's elder brother, King of Naples then King of Spain. Ordre de la Réunion, founded on October 18, 1811, by Emperor Napoleon I. Grand Cross jewel. Silver and enamel. Twelve-spoke star, white enamel, beveled with twelve clusters of five arrows linked by a ribbon. Silver center adorned, on the obverse, with the imperial throne with backrest decorated with a semi of bees with blue legend "tout pour l'Empire" and, on the reverse, with the "N" in a closed laurel wreath with blue legend "à jamais". Suspended, hinged, under an imperial crown with eight eagles, topped by a globe with cross, with blue enameled band with the legends "Napoleon" on the obverse and "Founder" on the reverse. Faded sky-blue sash. T.B. to T.T.B. Manufactured in the 19th century after the Empire (one ball broken, enamel chips at the tips of the branches). Dimensions: 110 x 75 mm. Gross weight: 88 g approx. Bearing the aluminum pastille from the collections of Prince Victor NAPOLEON stamped "215". Provenance : -Roi JOSEPH -Prince Victor NAPOLEON Collection n°215 -Princess Marie-Clotilde -Count Jérôme de Witt -Acquired by Countess Viviane de WITT. ORDRE DE LA RÉUNION, FOUNDED OCTOBER 18, 1811, BY EMPEROR NAPOLEON I Founded at the Palais d'Amsterdam on October 18, 1811 by Napoleon I at the height of his glory, the Order of Reunion completed the system of Napoleonic honors. It made up for the abolition of the Ordre de l'Union, founded by King Louis and dissolved with the annexation of the Kingdom of Holland. It also provided an alternative award to the Légion d'honneur, particularly useful at a time of the Empire's greatest territorial expansion. In accordance with Napoleon's wishes, the insignia of the new Order incorporated the symbols of the territories united with the Empire. The cordon is sky-blue, like that of the abolished Dutch Order. The rather crude execution in gilded silver, and the overly dark shade of blue enamel, point to late manufacture. In fact, Prince Victor's collection included several Napoleonic Order insignia of comparable workmanship, reputed to have come from Napoleon's surviving brothers, Joseph and Jérôme. The Musée de Fontainebleau holds a badge perfectly similar to ours. It is likely that the princes acquired these insignia sets during their exile. The present insignia would have belonged to King Joseph, who undoubtedly received the Grand Cross of the Order, (Royal and then of the Union), of Holland from his brother Louis, and took the insignia of the new Order on its creation, as authorized by the founding decree. Related works : Insigne de Grand-Croix de l'Ordre de la Réunion, (late manufacture, silver gilt, 125 x 75 mm), Château de Fontainebleau, Musée Napoléon Ier, Inv. N435, acquired from the imperial family (1979). According to the typed inventory book of the Prince Victor Napoléon collection, n°215 is described as follows: GRAND-CROIX de l'Ordre Impérial de la Réunion with light-blue cordon belonging to King JOSEPH Biography: LE ROI JOSEPH (1768-1844) Joseph Nabulion Bonaparte, (1768-1844), Napoleon's elder brother. After graduating in law from the University of Pisa in 1788, he established himself as a lawyer in Ajaccio, before taking advantage of his brother's rise to become ambassador to the Duke of Parma, and later to Pope Pius VI. Grand Elector and French Prince in 1804. King of Naples from 1806 to 1808, then King of Spain from 1808 to 1813. Went into exile in Switzerland after the fall of the Empire, then settled in Florence. 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.
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