Prince Eugène de BEAUHARNAIS, - Lot 281

Lot n° 281
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Estimation :
20000 - 30000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 49 400EUR
Prince Eugène de BEAUHARNAIS, - Lot 281
Prince Eugène de BEAUHARNAIS, Viceroy of Italy, (1781-1824). Magnificent embroidered plaque for a dignitary of the Order of the Iron Crown that belonged to Prince Eugène. Embroidered plaque in lamé, silver thread and canetille. Three-part center in gold, silver and enamel, on a granite background, Emperor Napoleon I wearing a green-enameled laurel wreath, surrounded by three eagles and three green-enameled Lombard crowns, legend on green background "Dio Me La Diede Guai A Chi La Tocca". Reverse lined with bi paper. T.T.B to SUP. Diameter: 100mm. Gross weight: 54.58g. Bearing the aluminum pastille from the collections of Prince Victor NAPOLEON struck "1732". Provenance : - Eugène de Beauharnais, (probably passed on to Queen Hortense, Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie) -Prince Victor NAPOLEON Collection (n°1732) -Prince Louis NAPOLEON Collection -Charles BONAPARTE, Princess Catherine NAPOLEON and Princess Laure NAPOLEON -Acquired by Countess Viviane de WITT. Related works: Prince Eugène Iron Crown embroidered plaque and cord, metal center with Italian motto (W. 6.7 cm. H. 7.8), Musée de la Légion d'honneur, deposit of the ALMA FRC group (Moura Collection, former collection of the Prince of Monaco). Historical background On February 20, 1806, Prince Eugène, Viceroy of Italy, was appointed to the first class of dignitaries of the Order of the Iron Crown, founded by Emperor Napoleon I in June 1805, the day after his coronation as King of Italy. On March 9, 1806, he presented the first insignia in Milan Cathedral. He had received his own a few days earlier, as attested by a letter from Napoleon: "I am very pleased that the great decoration (...) I have sent you has pleased you". Initially entirely embroidered, the Order's plaques were soon fitted with metal centers featuring enamelled gold ornaments set against a grained silver background. On many surviving plaques, the smooth spokes are formed by half-tubes of stamped silver, a refinement rarely seen elsewhere. The motto was in French or Italian, until October 1809, when Napoleon gave it its definitive Italian formulation. Like Napoleon, Prince Eugène was obviously very attached to the Order of the Iron Crown, which he wore until his last days. Among the insignia that belonged to him are a bar on a ribbon, a cross in brilliants (Musée de la Légion d'Honneur), a coat plate with a French motto (former Prince Victor collection) and another coat plate very similar to this one. According to the typed inventory book of Prince Victor Napoleon's collection, n°1732 is described as follows: Plaque de l'Ordre de la COURONNE de FER in silver sequins and gold center embroidery (1st model) Worn by Prince EUGENE Biography: PRINCE EUGÈNE DE BEAUHARNAIS (1781-1824) Son of Alexandre and Joséphine de Beauharnais, he accompanied his father-in-law Bonaparte on the Italian and Egyptian campaigns. General in 1804, Prince of the Empire and Viceroy of Italy in 1805. In Italy, he showed himself to be an energetic and humane administrator, and further demonstrated his military qualities during the retreat from Russia, deciding the victory at Lützen and defending Italy against the Allies to the very end. Temporary import The buyer will be required to pay import duties of 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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