Decade 1800-1809
See also : George I-III Turner Revolution and Empire Persia Fine books 1700-1850 Literature in English Travel Switzerland before 1940 Mechanical craft ca 1800 Jaquet-Droz and followers Watches II French time pieces European ceramics Historical arms Blade and armour Firearms II US dollars Gold coins World coins Early 19th century coins Sciences Sciences from 1800
1800 The Marengo Sabre of Napoléon
2007 SOLD for € 4.8M including premium by Osenat
narrated in 2020
The Battle of Marengo takes place on June 14, 1800, 25 Prairial an VIII of the Revolutionary Calendar. The First Consul, Napoléon Bonaparte, leads the Italian campaign. The battle begins with a surprise attack by the Austrians. Bonaparte understands the gravity of the situation and provides the necessary assistance to his endangered army. His action is spectacular and decisive, providing France with the final victory in that war.
Bonaparte immediately understood the advantage of this feat of arms for his personal prestige and for his political future. On May 5, 1805 Bonaparte, who had become Emperor Napoléon I in the meantime, had a throne installed for a military parade on the battlefield. He presides over this ceremony, dressed in the same way as on the day of the battle.
Also in 1805, Napoléon presented his youngest brother Jérôme with the glorious sabre which he had brandished at Marengo. Jérôme, 20 years old, had just returned from the United States where he had married, thwarting the ambition that the emperor could have for him. Napoléon broke this marriage by an imperial decree on March 11, 1805. Having henceforth consolidated his image of a magnificent warrior, he may have used this arm to encourage Jérôme's new military career in his service.
The sabre remained until 2007 with the descendants of Jérôme. Classified as a French monument historique in 1978, it was sold for € 4.8M including premium by Osenat on June 10, 2007. Please watch the video shared by Interencheres.
This arm had been produced by Nicolas-Noël Boutet, the manager of the arms factory in Versailles. The blade has an oriental shape and is decorated with etching. The main fittings for the sabre and its scabbard are in solid gold. The pommel is a Jupiter head in gold.
Bonaparte immediately understood the advantage of this feat of arms for his personal prestige and for his political future. On May 5, 1805 Bonaparte, who had become Emperor Napoléon I in the meantime, had a throne installed for a military parade on the battlefield. He presides over this ceremony, dressed in the same way as on the day of the battle.
Also in 1805, Napoléon presented his youngest brother Jérôme with the glorious sabre which he had brandished at Marengo. Jérôme, 20 years old, had just returned from the United States where he had married, thwarting the ambition that the emperor could have for him. Napoléon broke this marriage by an imperial decree on March 11, 1805. Having henceforth consolidated his image of a magnificent warrior, he may have used this arm to encourage Jérôme's new military career in his service.
The sabre remained until 2007 with the descendants of Jérôme. Classified as a French monument historique in 1978, it was sold for € 4.8M including premium by Osenat on June 10, 2007. Please watch the video shared by Interencheres.
This arm had been produced by Nicolas-Noël Boutet, the manager of the arms factory in Versailles. The blade has an oriental shape and is decorated with etching. The main fittings for the sabre and its scabbard are in solid gold. The pommel is a Jupiter head in gold.
1800 Breguet at the Time of the Marie-Antoinette
2016 SOLD for CHF 3.25M including premium
Watch lovers have always enjoyed the instruments of the utmost complexity. In 1783, one of them commissions to Breguet a montre de gousset (pocket watch) with all the complications including among several others the perpetual calendar, chronograph, minute repeater, reserve power indicator and chime.
This enthusiast who played for Breguet a similar role as Graves with Patek Philippe 150 years later was probably the Count Fersen known as a fervent admirer of the Queen of France and the watch was named the Marie-Antoinette. It was completed in 1827, four years after the death of Abraham-Louis Breguet.
Breguet was the most skilful watchmaker of his time and the Marie-Antoinette could be used as a kind of prototype. On May 16 in Geneva, Christie's offers a high complication watch sold new in 1800 of our calendar (An VIII of the Republican calendar) to General Moreau. It is estimated CHF 600K, lot 123.
This pocket watch 55 mm in diameter has the serial number No. 217 of the brand. It is the only example beside the Marie-Antoinette to offer in the same case the perpetual motion and the equation of time.
The perpétuelle is a self winding mechanism with an oscillating weight offering 60 hours of autonomy from the effect of moderate movements of the user, with a protection against shocks on horseback. The equation of time is a correction of the difference between standard and solar times which can reach up to 16 minutes.
This piece does not include the technique of the tourbillon invented by Breguet in 1801. The steadiness is ensured by the échappement libre à ancre (lever escapement), another difficulty that only Breguet knew to overcome.
General Moreau died in the battle of Dresden in 1813. Breguet reacquired the 217 and modernized the dial before selling it in 1817 to Charles-Louis Havas, the financier who became famous for opening in Paris in 1832 the first ever newspaper translation business which became in 1835 his Havas Agency.
This enthusiast who played for Breguet a similar role as Graves with Patek Philippe 150 years later was probably the Count Fersen known as a fervent admirer of the Queen of France and the watch was named the Marie-Antoinette. It was completed in 1827, four years after the death of Abraham-Louis Breguet.
Breguet was the most skilful watchmaker of his time and the Marie-Antoinette could be used as a kind of prototype. On May 16 in Geneva, Christie's offers a high complication watch sold new in 1800 of our calendar (An VIII of the Republican calendar) to General Moreau. It is estimated CHF 600K, lot 123.
This pocket watch 55 mm in diameter has the serial number No. 217 of the brand. It is the only example beside the Marie-Antoinette to offer in the same case the perpetual motion and the equation of time.
The perpétuelle is a self winding mechanism with an oscillating weight offering 60 hours of autonomy from the effect of moderate movements of the user, with a protection against shocks on horseback. The equation of time is a correction of the difference between standard and solar times which can reach up to 16 minutes.
This piece does not include the technique of the tourbillon invented by Breguet in 1801. The steadiness is ensured by the échappement libre à ancre (lever escapement), another difficulty that only Breguet knew to overcome.
General Moreau died in the battle of Dresden in 1813. Breguet reacquired the 217 and modernized the dial before selling it in 1817 to Charles-Louis Havas, the financier who became famous for opening in Paris in 1832 the first ever newspaper translation business which became in 1835 his Havas Agency.
La montre du fondateur de l'AFP mise aux enchères le 16 mai à #Genève https://t.co/SwAls5tk1C #Montres pic.twitter.com/hJFRif0dqp
— Christie's Paris (@christiesparis) April 8, 2016
1800-1801 The Qajar Courtesan
2010 SOLD 960 K£ including premium
200 years ago, Fath 'Ali Shah reigned over Persia. Second ruler of the Qajar dynasty, he took advantage of a period of relative peace to develop the new capital, Tehran. He loved luxury and promoted the arts.
Mirza Baba was one of the artists attached to the court. In 1215AH, he signed the portrait of a Lady, to be sold by Sotheby's in London on October 6. For conversion into common calendar, add 585/586 years.
This large oil on canvas, 146 x 94 cm, is estimated £ 500K. The young beauty of the East, richly dressed, sits with a calculated negligence. She has no name: she is an idealized courtesan. Beside the Shah, the characters of Qajar art are rarely identified.
On 12 October 2004, the same auction house had sold £ 900K including premium a portrait of Fath 'Ali, recognizable by his huge black beard. This oil on canvas, 203 x 115 cm, painted around 1220AH, was attributed to the best painter of the court, Mihr 'Ali.
POST SALE COMMENT
This painting is beautiful, typical, signed by a renowned artist in his category, and dated. The result is logical and deserved: £ 960K including premium.
Mirza Baba was one of the artists attached to the court. In 1215AH, he signed the portrait of a Lady, to be sold by Sotheby's in London on October 6. For conversion into common calendar, add 585/586 years.
This large oil on canvas, 146 x 94 cm, is estimated £ 500K. The young beauty of the East, richly dressed, sits with a calculated negligence. She has no name: she is an idealized courtesan. Beside the Shah, the characters of Qajar art are rarely identified.
On 12 October 2004, the same auction house had sold £ 900K including premium a portrait of Fath 'Ali, recognizable by his huge black beard. This oil on canvas, 203 x 115 cm, painted around 1220AH, was attributed to the best painter of the court, Mihr 'Ali.
POST SALE COMMENT
This painting is beautiful, typical, signed by a renowned artist in his category, and dated. The result is logical and deserved: £ 960K including premium.
1802-1816 the original watercolors by Redouté for Les Liliacées
1985 SOLD for $ 5.5M including premium ($ 5M before fees) by Sotheby's
1804 My Dear Watsons
2011 SOLD 1 M£ including premium
Passionate about creative writing since childhood, Jane Austen has become after her death one of the favorite English authors. She describes with a keen sense of social observation the search of a suitable husband by the girls of her age.
In 1804, she has already tested several literary genres, but has not yet published. She began writing a new novel, The Watsons. In accordance with her favorite theme, she develops the various social strategies of four sisters. This largely autobiographical novel was finally stopped at the death of her father.
The first twelve pages of the manuscript of The Watsons are kept at the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. The following eight pages have not been located, and the last 68 pages are estimated £ 200K, for sale by Sotheby's in London on July 14.
Jane Austen's manuscripts are extremely rare. They are also of great interest to understand the creative process of this excellent author, thanks to the numerous revisions made by Jane to look for the right word.
POST SALE COMMENT
The uniqueness of this lot is confirmed by the result: £ 1M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared on the web by Sotheby's:
In 1804, she has already tested several literary genres, but has not yet published. She began writing a new novel, The Watsons. In accordance with her favorite theme, she develops the various social strategies of four sisters. This largely autobiographical novel was finally stopped at the death of her father.
The first twelve pages of the manuscript of The Watsons are kept at the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. The following eight pages have not been located, and the last 68 pages are estimated £ 200K, for sale by Sotheby's in London on July 14.
Jane Austen's manuscripts are extremely rare. They are also of great interest to understand the creative process of this excellent author, thanks to the numerous revisions made by Jane to look for the right word.
POST SALE COMMENT
The uniqueness of this lot is confirmed by the result: £ 1M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared on the web by Sotheby's:
1804 The Laurels of the Coronation
2017 SOLD for € 630K including premium
In 1804 Bonaparte became the Emperor Napoléon I. As his legitimacy came from the French Revolution, the new monarch desired to deploy a luxury equal to that of the Ancien Régime but in opposite styles.
Inspired by the heroes of antiquity, he wishes to wear a wreath of gold laurel leaves at the coronation ceremony. That crown is commissioned to Martin-Guillaume Biennais, a goldsmith with the trademark Au Singe Violet who for two years has been the exclusive supplier of silverware for Napoléon's table.
Biennais realizes and assembles the very finely chiseled leaves in a size and according to a naturalistic motif that were probably the same for the whole set. Each leaf was 9.2 cm long and 2.5 cm maximum wide and weighed 10 g.
Napoléon tests the crown before the ceremony. According to the story told by the Biennais family, he finds that the crown is too heavy and requires the craftsman to remove six leaves. It may seem surprising that the emperor considered that a difference of 60 g was so significant. Perhaps he simply wanted to reward Biennais for the quality of his work.
Again from the family tradition, Biennais presented a gold leaf to each of his six daughters. A leaf that was still in the descendance is estimated beyond € 100K for sale by Osenat in Fontainebleau on November 19, lot 164. Here is the link to the website of the auction house. Strangely no information is known about what happened to the other five leaves removed by Biennais.
Another leaf survives with another provenance. It had become detached before the reuse of the wreath by the emperor in 1805 for his coronation as king of Italy. Napoléon had not required the crown to be repaired and had offered the gold leaf to Isabey, author of the mishandling, who inserted it into a snuffbox.
Inspired by the heroes of antiquity, he wishes to wear a wreath of gold laurel leaves at the coronation ceremony. That crown is commissioned to Martin-Guillaume Biennais, a goldsmith with the trademark Au Singe Violet who for two years has been the exclusive supplier of silverware for Napoléon's table.
Biennais realizes and assembles the very finely chiseled leaves in a size and according to a naturalistic motif that were probably the same for the whole set. Each leaf was 9.2 cm long and 2.5 cm maximum wide and weighed 10 g.
Napoléon tests the crown before the ceremony. According to the story told by the Biennais family, he finds that the crown is too heavy and requires the craftsman to remove six leaves. It may seem surprising that the emperor considered that a difference of 60 g was so significant. Perhaps he simply wanted to reward Biennais for the quality of his work.
Again from the family tradition, Biennais presented a gold leaf to each of his six daughters. A leaf that was still in the descendance is estimated beyond € 100K for sale by Osenat in Fontainebleau on November 19, lot 164. Here is the link to the website of the auction house. Strangely no information is known about what happened to the other five leaves removed by Biennais.
Another leaf survives with another provenance. It had become detached before the reuse of the wreath by the emperor in 1805 for his coronation as king of Italy. Napoléon had not required the crown to be repaired and had offered the gold leaf to Isabey, author of the mishandling, who inserted it into a snuffbox.
La feuille d'or de la couronne de #Napoleon sera vendue chez @OsenatSVV à #Fontainebleau https://t.co/k6v7Zyb6cf pic.twitter.com/2gva8esgjK
— La Rep (@LaRep77) September 20, 2017
1804-1806 pair of flintlock pistols made by Boutet for Bolivar
2004 SOLD 1.7 M$ including premium by Christie's
Link to catalogue.
1805 Amphora Automaton watch attributed to Piguet et Capt
2002 SOLD for CHF 4M (worth at that time US $ 2.4M) including premium by Antiquorum
1805 Brawls for Ghosts
2013 SOLD 720 K$ including premium
The greatest artists build an original universe according to their vision. Exalted by death and grave, William Blake is one of them. In 1805, Robert Cromek invites him to prepare the illustration for a deluxe edition of the highly popular poem by Robert Blair, The Grave.
The project is rough from the early stages. Cromek wanted to have a choice among 40 drawings, but Blake produced a mere 20. These two men were competitors as printers and Cromek refused Blake's test of the first image. He entrusted the job to another craftsman, so depriving Blake of the monetary benefit of his art.
The book was published in 1808, with 12 illustrations from those prepared by Blake in 1805. Cromek had retained all the drawings, which were auctioned as a single lot in 1836 for the pittance sum of £ 1.25.
The portfolio of Blake's drawings for Blair's poem was discovered intact in 2001 by a bookseller at one of its competitors. The finding was announced to the media and immediately made the subject of a dispute over ownership.
Sotheby's pushes further the media by organizing a dedicated sale for this set on May 2, 2006 after having exhibited it in its main rooms. The artworks are separated.
The market did not follow (perhaps in part because of the still recent legal trouble). 8 of the 20 lots are unsold. The highest price, $ 1.6 million including premium, is paid on the Death of the strong wicked man, purchased by the Société des Amis du Louvre.
The Gambols of ghosts is one of the unsold of 2006, and one of the images not published by Cromek. Like the rest of the series, this drawing is made in pen and ink wash embellished with delicate shades of watercolor. Its size is 27 x 21 cm.
Animated by frantic ghosts with longer bodies, it is one of the most fantastic images of the set. It shows altogether heaven, hell and purgatory while naked women are dancing in a circle around a tree in the background.
This drawing comes again at Sotheby's, now with the conservative estimate of $ 400K, in New York on January 30. Here is the link to the catalog. It is also shown on the page where Artnet expressed an intense disappointment from the sale results of 2006.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate is much exceeded but the price, $ 720K including premium, is low when compared to the best results from the sale of 2006.
The project is rough from the early stages. Cromek wanted to have a choice among 40 drawings, but Blake produced a mere 20. These two men were competitors as printers and Cromek refused Blake's test of the first image. He entrusted the job to another craftsman, so depriving Blake of the monetary benefit of his art.
The book was published in 1808, with 12 illustrations from those prepared by Blake in 1805. Cromek had retained all the drawings, which were auctioned as a single lot in 1836 for the pittance sum of £ 1.25.
The portfolio of Blake's drawings for Blair's poem was discovered intact in 2001 by a bookseller at one of its competitors. The finding was announced to the media and immediately made the subject of a dispute over ownership.
Sotheby's pushes further the media by organizing a dedicated sale for this set on May 2, 2006 after having exhibited it in its main rooms. The artworks are separated.
The market did not follow (perhaps in part because of the still recent legal trouble). 8 of the 20 lots are unsold. The highest price, $ 1.6 million including premium, is paid on the Death of the strong wicked man, purchased by the Société des Amis du Louvre.
The Gambols of ghosts is one of the unsold of 2006, and one of the images not published by Cromek. Like the rest of the series, this drawing is made in pen and ink wash embellished with delicate shades of watercolor. Its size is 27 x 21 cm.
Animated by frantic ghosts with longer bodies, it is one of the most fantastic images of the set. It shows altogether heaven, hell and purgatory while naked women are dancing in a circle around a tree in the background.
This drawing comes again at Sotheby's, now with the conservative estimate of $ 400K, in New York on January 30. Here is the link to the catalog. It is also shown on the page where Artnet expressed an intense disappointment from the sale results of 2006.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate is much exceeded but the price, $ 720K including premium, is low when compared to the best results from the sale of 2006.
1805-1810 Swiss Automata for the Chinese Market
2010 SOLD 750 KCHF including premium
Qianlong, the emperor of China who encouraged all forms of art, was a big fan of clocks and automata. His reign lived the development of the workshops in Guangzhou (Canton), in connection with England.
A few years later, Switzerland got in turn the benefit of this export market. Its skilled craftsmen offered the progress of miniaturization, which was so well suited to the Chinese refined mood. The workshops produced gold watches and automata in flat packages decorated with enamel.
An example of automaton attributed to Piguet & Capt and dated between 1805 and 1810 is for sale by Sotheby's in Geneva on May 9. It is shield shaped 55 x 38 x 11 mm, its edge being marked by a row of large pearls.
The front shows a pastoral scene made in three colored gold on a background of finely enameled lake landscape. The shepherdess and her animals are playing different movements of the arms and head beside a water mill whose wheel turns, for a total of seven motions. The back is illustrated by the fixed enamel portrait of two children.
This piece which belonged to King Farouk is estimated CHF 400K.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price, 750 KCHF including premium, is much higher than the estimate, and also higher than I had imagined. Note that this piece was particularly precious.
A few years later, Switzerland got in turn the benefit of this export market. Its skilled craftsmen offered the progress of miniaturization, which was so well suited to the Chinese refined mood. The workshops produced gold watches and automata in flat packages decorated with enamel.
An example of automaton attributed to Piguet & Capt and dated between 1805 and 1810 is for sale by Sotheby's in Geneva on May 9. It is shield shaped 55 x 38 x 11 mm, its edge being marked by a row of large pearls.
The front shows a pastoral scene made in three colored gold on a background of finely enameled lake landscape. The shepherdess and her animals are playing different movements of the arms and head beside a water mill whose wheel turns, for a total of seven motions. The back is illustrated by the fixed enamel portrait of two children.
This piece which belonged to King Farouk is estimated CHF 400K.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price, 750 KCHF including premium, is much higher than the estimate, and also higher than I had imagined. Note that this piece was particularly precious.
1807 In Search of Perfect Time
2014 SOLD 820 KCHF including premium
Abraham-Louis Breguet was looking for the perfect measurement of time. In his period, the last major obstacle to overcome is gravity. A clockwork that is perfect when the watch is in flat position is disturbed when its position is moved.
He executes in 1800 the prototype of the tourbillon (French word for whirlwind), also known as cage tournante (revolving carriage), in which a mechanism generates a rotation of the escapement. Of course, such a realization is a feat of micro-mechanics, for which the brilliant inventor was also experimenting with new solutions for the escapement.
In 1806 and 1807, Breguet is developing a long revolving tourbillon of four minutes. Stability is increased by a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour, 20% higher than the best mechanisms of that period.
This tourbillon was fitted into a luxurious gold watch 65 mm in diameter sold for 4,600 francs in 1809 to the Polish statesman Stanislas Potocki. It was the first montre garde-temps à tourbillon that had been commercialized.
This exceptional watch is estimated CHF 600K, for sale by Christie 's in Geneva on May 12, lot 294 in the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very interesting watch was sold for CHF 820K including premium.
He executes in 1800 the prototype of the tourbillon (French word for whirlwind), also known as cage tournante (revolving carriage), in which a mechanism generates a rotation of the escapement. Of course, such a realization is a feat of micro-mechanics, for which the brilliant inventor was also experimenting with new solutions for the escapement.
In 1806 and 1807, Breguet is developing a long revolving tourbillon of four minutes. Stability is increased by a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour, 20% higher than the best mechanisms of that period.
This tourbillon was fitted into a luxurious gold watch 65 mm in diameter sold for 4,600 francs in 1809 to the Polish statesman Stanislas Potocki. It was the first montre garde-temps à tourbillon that had been commercialized.
This exceptional watch is estimated CHF 600K, for sale by Christie 's in Geneva on May 12, lot 294 in the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very interesting watch was sold for CHF 820K including premium.
1807-1808 Magic Box and Vinaigrette
2000 SOLD for £ 640K including premium by Sotheby's
PRE 2020 SALE DISCUSSION
In the early 1800s, Swiss mechanics produced automatons of increasing complexity for the Chinese market. The Theater is a suitable theme to support an animation. A musical watch made circa 1800 probably in Neuchâtel was sold for HK $ 4.1M including premium by Christie's on November 27, 2013.
These mechanisms are also integrated into other types of boxes, often decorated with rows of pearls. A seven-movement shield shaped piece was sold for CHF 750K including premium by Christie's on May 9, 2010. Made around 1820, a snuff box animated by the riddles of a magician was sold for CHF 1.2M including premium by Sotheby's on June 8, 2016.
On July 14 in London, Sotheby's sells a snuff box 8.4 cm wide that conceals several surprises. It is estimated £ 500K, lot 27. It had been sold in the same auction room on November 9, 2000 for £ 640K including premium over a lower estimate of £ 120K.
It has the shape of a small book whose front cover decorated with a leopard opens to display a Temple of Music. The triggering of the movement opens the central door of the temple, activating the performance of a musician before the back of the stage slides to reveal a sanctuary with a flaming altar.
The spine of the book is divided into four sections. The two middle parts open together to make a storage compartment for a key. The upper and lower sections hide respectively a watch and a vinaigrette, which was used by the ladies to sniff a perfume to avoid fainting.
The case was made by Sené et Neisser, two jewelers who were associated between 1805 and 1808 in Geneva. The terminus post quem of its specific maker's mark is 1807. The movement may have been made by Puyroche, an assembler (établisseur in the wording of that time) from Geneva who signed one of its components.
In the early 1800s, Swiss mechanics produced automatons of increasing complexity for the Chinese market. The Theater is a suitable theme to support an animation. A musical watch made circa 1800 probably in Neuchâtel was sold for HK $ 4.1M including premium by Christie's on November 27, 2013.
These mechanisms are also integrated into other types of boxes, often decorated with rows of pearls. A seven-movement shield shaped piece was sold for CHF 750K including premium by Christie's on May 9, 2010. Made around 1820, a snuff box animated by the riddles of a magician was sold for CHF 1.2M including premium by Sotheby's on June 8, 2016.
On July 14 in London, Sotheby's sells a snuff box 8.4 cm wide that conceals several surprises. It is estimated £ 500K, lot 27. It had been sold in the same auction room on November 9, 2000 for £ 640K including premium over a lower estimate of £ 120K.
It has the shape of a small book whose front cover decorated with a leopard opens to display a Temple of Music. The triggering of the movement opens the central door of the temple, activating the performance of a musician before the back of the stage slides to reveal a sanctuary with a flaming altar.
The spine of the book is divided into four sections. The two middle parts open together to make a storage compartment for a key. The upper and lower sections hide respectively a watch and a vinaigrette, which was used by the ladies to sniff a perfume to avoid fainting.
The case was made by Sené et Neisser, two jewelers who were associated between 1805 and 1808 in Geneva. The terminus post quem of its specific maker's mark is 1807. The movement may have been made by Puyroche, an assembler (établisseur in the wording of that time) from Geneva who signed one of its components.
1807-1809 the Marly Rouge Service in Sèvres Porcelain
2018 SOLD for $ 1.8M including premium by Christie's
Link to catalogue.
The 'Marly Rouge' Service in the English & European Furniture, Ceramics and Decorations, Part I sale realizes $1,812,500, over 7 times the high estimate of $250,000! https://t.co/YheijG2OWH pic.twitter.com/tFw3P31hv1
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 9, 2018
1808 Pope's Villa at Twickenham by Turner
2008 SOLD for £ 5.4M including premium by Sotheby's
narrated in 2020
The young Turner is a great admirer of poets, whom he wishes to equal with his graphic art. He specializes in landscapes. Following the example of Le Lorrain, he assembles from 1807 a set of studies which will serve as models for his later work and for the prints.
Turner wants to express the deep truth of nature. He explores the Thames and buys a piece of land at Twickenham in 1807. He builds there from 1812 his personal lodge according to his own taste.
A century earlier, Twickenham was the home of wealthy Londoners who wanted to escape the city. In 1719 the poet Alexander Pope had built an opulent three-story house on the banks of the Thames, and his garden was designed to shelter the Muses.
Baroness Howe of Langar bought this estate in 1807. The memory of Pope was still attracting many visitors. To protect her peace of living, she has the villa destroyed. Of course Turner is deeply frustrated and irritated by this decision which diminishes the touristic attraction of this village which he had just chosen for himself.
The view of the Pope villa by Turner is an oil on canvas 92 x 120 cm painted in 1808. Already aiming to match the brightness of the watercolors, he had coated the canvas with a white primer.
The scene is pastoral, with small quiet figures, a young couple of shepherds, a few sheep, in the beautiful light of an autumn evening. Beyond the river, the building is the symbol of the ephemeral character of human achievements : it has already lost its roof and the windows are gaping.
He exhibited it in his gallery in London, which he has been using since 1804 to attract customers and art critics. The success of this work which expresses a poetic sensitivity with a high quality of execution is considerable. At 33, he is the best landscape painter of his time.
This painting was sold for £ 5.4M including premium by Sotheby's on July 9, 2008. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Turner wants to express the deep truth of nature. He explores the Thames and buys a piece of land at Twickenham in 1807. He builds there from 1812 his personal lodge according to his own taste.
A century earlier, Twickenham was the home of wealthy Londoners who wanted to escape the city. In 1719 the poet Alexander Pope had built an opulent three-story house on the banks of the Thames, and his garden was designed to shelter the Muses.
Baroness Howe of Langar bought this estate in 1807. The memory of Pope was still attracting many visitors. To protect her peace of living, she has the villa destroyed. Of course Turner is deeply frustrated and irritated by this decision which diminishes the touristic attraction of this village which he had just chosen for himself.
The view of the Pope villa by Turner is an oil on canvas 92 x 120 cm painted in 1808. Already aiming to match the brightness of the watercolors, he had coated the canvas with a white primer.
The scene is pastoral, with small quiet figures, a young couple of shepherds, a few sheep, in the beautiful light of an autumn evening. Beyond the river, the building is the symbol of the ephemeral character of human achievements : it has already lost its roof and the windows are gaping.
He exhibited it in his gallery in London, which he has been using since 1804 to attract customers and art critics. The success of this work which expresses a poetic sensitivity with a high quality of execution is considerable. At 33, he is the best landscape painter of his time.
This painting was sold for £ 5.4M including premium by Sotheby's on July 9, 2008. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1808 A Flat Cap for Miss Liberty
2015 SOLD for $ 2.35M including premium
The Coinage Act of 1792 allowed ten denominations based on the decimal system in four ranges, the dollar, the eagle worth 10 dollars, the disme (later dime) at 1/10 dollar and the cent at 1/100 dollar, each supplemented by a half.
The other two coins are quarters : of eagle worth $ 2.5 and of dollar worth $ 0.25. These quarters were not user friendly to count his money. They were not popular and their manufacture was sometimes interrupted. In two cases, the production is stopped at completion of a year of design change, generating the rarest types of regular US coinage.
The first sale of the Pogue collection, on May 19 in New York by Stack's Bowers in association with Sotheby's, includes a specimen in exceptional condition for these two rarities. The 1796 quarter dollar was recently discussed in this column. The other example is the 1808 quarter eagle, lot 1128 estimated $ 1.2 million.
The eagle, half eagle and quarter eagle are the three gold coins defined by the Coinage act. At the beginning of the three denominations, Miss Liberty wears a turban like a Phrygian cap which had been a symbol of freedom during the War of Independence.
The eagle is discontinued after the year 1804, leaving the half eagle as the top denomination in production. In 1807, the drawing of the half eagle is changed. Miss Liberty exchanges her high turban to a flat cap. In 1808, the same design is applied to the quarter eagle that will be interrupted from 1809 to 1820 inclusive.
The 1808 quarter eagle in the first Pogue sale is graded MS65 by PCGS. This dark yellow gold piece is in a remarkable state of preservation of the metal, with nice coppery or violet tonings. Struck with a great clarity that reveals the defects from the die, it is by far the best surviving coin in its class, considered as a masterpiece of US numismatics for over a century.
The other two coins are quarters : of eagle worth $ 2.5 and of dollar worth $ 0.25. These quarters were not user friendly to count his money. They were not popular and their manufacture was sometimes interrupted. In two cases, the production is stopped at completion of a year of design change, generating the rarest types of regular US coinage.
The first sale of the Pogue collection, on May 19 in New York by Stack's Bowers in association with Sotheby's, includes a specimen in exceptional condition for these two rarities. The 1796 quarter dollar was recently discussed in this column. The other example is the 1808 quarter eagle, lot 1128 estimated $ 1.2 million.
The eagle, half eagle and quarter eagle are the three gold coins defined by the Coinage act. At the beginning of the three denominations, Miss Liberty wears a turban like a Phrygian cap which had been a symbol of freedom during the War of Independence.
The eagle is discontinued after the year 1804, leaving the half eagle as the top denomination in production. In 1807, the drawing of the half eagle is changed. Miss Liberty exchanges her high turban to a flat cap. In 1808, the same design is applied to the quarter eagle that will be interrupted from 1809 to 1820 inclusive.
The 1808 quarter eagle in the first Pogue sale is graded MS65 by PCGS. This dark yellow gold piece is in a remarkable state of preservation of the metal, with nice coppery or violet tonings. Struck with a great clarity that reveals the defects from the die, it is by far the best surviving coin in its class, considered as a masterpiece of US numismatics for over a century.
#AuctionUpdate Worth $2.50 at face value when made in 1808, this gold Quarter Eagle just fetched $2.35 million in NYC pic.twitter.com/ZrtkL35gz7
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) May 20, 20151808 pattern rouble of Alexander I
2013 SOLD 1 MCHF before fees by Sincona
1809-1828 The Monument of Egyptomania
2011 SOLD 1.1 M€ including premium
"Soldats, du haut de ces Pyramides quarante siècles vous contemplent" (Soldiers: from the top of these pyramids forty centuries look on you). In 1798, General Bonaparte, made famous by the campaign of Italy, had great ambitions. The expedition to Egypt had a low military value and led to a fiasco. But it had a significant social impact. For several years, the fashion named "Retour d'Egypte" (return from Egypt) is a new variant of the naive imitations of antiquity.
The many scholars who accompanied Napoleon in Egypt had reaped a lot of information, some of which were of very high importance. The Rosetta stone was rediscovered during the expedition.
In line with the work of the eighteenth century encyclopedists, Napoleon decreed that the multidisciplinary observations of his 160 scientists had to be gathered in one publishing project. He did make it by his official Imprimerie Impériale.
"La Description de l'Egypte" is a monumental work by its size and its quality. It includes 23 volumes, which were developed in parallel from 1809 to 1828. It contains 974 plates, some in colors, most of them involving several drawings.
The copy for sale on May 11 by Christie's in Paris has been bound by Tessier as recommended by the printer. It is preserved in its original mahogany display case. This set is estimated € 500K.
The Description of Egypt had such prestige that its second French edition, by Panckoucke, was started in 1821 without waiting for the completion of the official edition.
POST SALE COMMENT
Excellent price, € 1.1 million including premium, for this monumental work.
A photo showing the importance of this set in its furniture had been published in the release shared by AuctionPublicity before the sale.
The many scholars who accompanied Napoleon in Egypt had reaped a lot of information, some of which were of very high importance. The Rosetta stone was rediscovered during the expedition.
In line with the work of the eighteenth century encyclopedists, Napoleon decreed that the multidisciplinary observations of his 160 scientists had to be gathered in one publishing project. He did make it by his official Imprimerie Impériale.
"La Description de l'Egypte" is a monumental work by its size and its quality. It includes 23 volumes, which were developed in parallel from 1809 to 1828. It contains 974 plates, some in colors, most of them involving several drawings.
The copy for sale on May 11 by Christie's in Paris has been bound by Tessier as recommended by the printer. It is preserved in its original mahogany display case. This set is estimated € 500K.
The Description of Egypt had such prestige that its second French edition, by Panckoucke, was started in 1821 without waiting for the completion of the official edition.
POST SALE COMMENT
Excellent price, € 1.1 million including premium, for this monumental work.
A photo showing the importance of this set in its furniture had been published in the release shared by AuctionPublicity before the sale.
Napoléon's Hats
2014 SOLD for € 1.9M including premium
The popular imagery propagated the silhouette of Napoléon Bonaparte with his bicorne hat, his gray coat and the hand in vest.
Napoléon was a military leader whose early career took place during the French Révolution. When he named himself Empereur in 1804, his dual attitude became staggering. It was the same man who wanted to be loved by humble soldiers for winning their loyalty and to lead the most luxurious court in the world.
Between the battle of Marengo in 1800 and the fall of the Empire in 1815, the model and bearing of the hat hardly changed and it is not possible to date accurately a specific example. To distinguish himself from his generals, he refused the plumet of feathers and used the wings above the shoulders.
Napoléon bought four hats a year, and each one could endure three years. During the Consulat and the Empire, he worn about fifty hats of which many have disappeared. A true Napoléon's hat can not be in good condition. He had it forced before wearing and took off the cocarde when he reformed it.
On November 16 at Fontainebleau, Osenat in collaboration with Binoche et Giquello sells a Napoléon's hat, lot 89 estimated € 300K, from the collection of the Princes of Monaco. This piece in black felt has still its inner silk but a new cocarde has been reestablished.
See it below, tweeted on November 11 by the bidding platform Interencheres.
Napoléon was a military leader whose early career took place during the French Révolution. When he named himself Empereur in 1804, his dual attitude became staggering. It was the same man who wanted to be loved by humble soldiers for winning their loyalty and to lead the most luxurious court in the world.
Between the battle of Marengo in 1800 and the fall of the Empire in 1815, the model and bearing of the hat hardly changed and it is not possible to date accurately a specific example. To distinguish himself from his generals, he refused the plumet of feathers and used the wings above the shoulders.
Napoléon bought four hats a year, and each one could endure three years. During the Consulat and the Empire, he worn about fifty hats of which many have disappeared. A true Napoléon's hat can not be in good condition. He had it forced before wearing and took off the cocarde when he reformed it.
On November 16 at Fontainebleau, Osenat in collaboration with Binoche et Giquello sells a Napoléon's hat, lot 89 estimated € 300K, from the collection of the Princes of Monaco. This piece in black felt has still its inner silk but a new cocarde has been reestablished.
See it below, tweeted on November 11 by the bidding platform Interencheres.
Le chapeau de #Napoléon aux #enchères #souvenirshistoriques #artmarket #impérialcouvrechef http://t.co/YgrA30JCUo pic.twitter.com/ayG1xhpsMS
— interencheres.com (@interencheres) November 11, 2014