Lot 326
Napoleon I (1769-1821) General of the French Revolution, ruler of France as First Consul, and Emperor of the French and King of Italy. Document Signed "Napoleon" as Emperor, 1 p. vellum, 15"x20", Toulouse, 1808 July 27. Fine; lower left corner is wrinkled and a tear affects the signature of Cambacérès, Arch-chancellor of the Empire; some show-through from seals and docket on verso. A formal document creating Jean Antoine Joseph De Bry Chevalier de l'Empire. It states that De Bry was made a member of the Légion d'Honneur on the 25th Prairial Year 12 (1804), that Napoleon had decreed on March 1, 1808 that all members of the Légion d'Honneur would carry the title of Chevalier and that their titles would descend through their legitimate first-born male heirs. Matted and framed to 22"x26½".
The Légion d'Honneur was an Order of Chivalry instituted by Napoleon as First Consul of the French Republic on May 19, 1802 as a system of reward for merit. As a member of the National Convention, Jean Antoine Joseph de Bry (1760-1834) voted for the death sentence at the trial of King Louis XVI. He supported Napoleon and the coup Brumaire (Nov. 9-10 1799), then served as prefect of Doubs and Bas-Rhin. He was created Chevalier de l'Empire with this document, and in 1809 he was made a baron. He was proscribed as a regicide in 1816 and lived in the Netherlands until 1830, when he returned to France.
Estimated Value $4,000 - 6,000.
|
| |
| Realized $4,600 |
