Emperor NAPOLEON III, (1808-1873). - Lot 286

Lot n° 286
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Estimation :
10000 - 12000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 19 500EUR
Emperor NAPOLEON III, (1808-1873). - Lot 286
Emperor NAPOLEON III, (1808-1873). Jewel of the Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Leopold of Austria, created in 1808. Gold (18K), enamel, scarf. Gold Grand-Croix jewel with four branches enameled with translucent red and white enamel. Center with motto on obverse "Integritati Et Merito" and gold "FIA" numeral in center (Franciscus Imperator Augustus). On the reverse, white enamel with the inscription "Opes Regum Corda Subdito Rum" surrounded by a laurel wreath. Suspended from a uniface gold crown with loop. T.T.B. Mid-19th century (scarf insolated). Dimensions: 80 x 45 mm. Gross weight: 21.4g. Bearing the aluminum pastille from the collections of Prince Victor NAPOLEON stamped "678". Provenance : Prince Victor NAPOLEON collection (n°678), Princesse Marie-Clotilde, Count Jérôme de Witt, then acquired by Countess Viviane de WITT. History: At the time of Napoleon's marriage to Marie-Louise, the father of the new Empress of the French granted the latest of his orders to French dignitaries such as Duroc, Champagny, Talleyrand, Fouché, Montesquiou and Sémonville. Napoleon himself probably received the Order at the same time as the older and more prestigious Order of Saint-Étienne. None of the Emperor's brothers appear to have received the Austrian Orders. Only Prince Eugène and the King of Rome were awarded the Cordon de Saint-Étienne. Under the Second Empire, Napoleon III, the Prince Imperial and Prince Napoleon (1867) were Grand Crosses of Saint-Étienne, but not of the Order of Leopold. These insignia belong to a set of Orders attributed essentially to Napoleon I in Prince Victor's collection (nos. 482 to 552 of the 1977 Inv.), some of which are clearly too late to have been worn by the Emperor. It is therefore reasonable to assume that Prince Victor acquired a set of perfectly authentic Austrian insignia dating from the 1840s and 1850s, in order to recreate the fabulous imperial casket. According to the typed inventory book of Prince Victor Napoleon's collection, n°678 is described as follows: GRAND-CROIX of the Order of LEOPOLD of AUSTRIA with red cord edged in white Belonged to Emperor NAPOLON III Biography: EMPEROR NAPOLÉON III Napoleon III, (1808-1873), third son of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, and Hortense de Beauharnais. He grew up in exile after the fall of the First Empire. Soon conspiring for Italian unity, he established himself as heir to the throne in 1832 on the death of the Duke of Reichstadt. He attempted several unsuccessful coups d'état in 1836 and 1840, but was eventually elected People's Representative after the 1848 revolution, and then President of the Republic. After seizing power in the coup d'état of December 2, 1851, he restored the Empire a year later. He reigned until 1870, when he was captured by the Prussians after the defeat at Sedan. The Third Republic was proclaimed on September 4, 1870, and Napoleon III went into exile. In 1853, the Emperor married Eugénie de Montijo, Countess of Teba, (1826-1920). The couple had only one child, Louis-Napoléon, known as Loulou, who died prematurely in 1879 in Zululand. 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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