A lock of hair, a piece of vest, and a piece of curtain belonging to Emperor Napoleon preserved on a note signed by Valérie Masuyer

Auction Closed

June 25, 05:03 PM GMT

Estimate

4,000 - 6,000 EUR

Lot Details

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Lire en français

Description

with a handwritten letter : "Cheveux de l'Empereur coupés sur son front après sa mort par Mr Marchand pour que l'on puisse prendre l'empreinte de son visage. Mr Marchand me les a donnés ainsi que le fragment d'un des gilets de flanelle ..chemise de l’Empereur et celui des rideaux d'un de ses lits de douleur à St Hélène lors du retour des cendres impériales en décembre 1840. Valérie Masuyer, Dame d'Honneur de la Reine Hortense", on the reverse "Cette relique est personnellement pour Octave après moi" signed "l'Etoile 8 juin 1875.", in a giltwood frame


Haut. 10 cm, long. 12 cm ; Height 4 in, length 4 ¾ in

Napoléon Ist (1769-1821)

Valérie Masuyer (1797-1878), lady-in-waiting to Queen Hortense from 1830 to 1837;

Donated to Octave d’Esdouhard d’Englème (1860-1943);

HVMC Sale, Monaco, December 14, 2022, lot 208.

Related literature:

Trésors de la Fondation Napoléon, dans l’intimité de la Cour impériale, 2004, p. 174, fig. 157.

Preserving the hair of a loved one is a widespread tradition in 18th- and 19th-century Europe. Rolled into loops or braided, it adorns the backs of pendants, forms the body of a bracelet, or is kept in small boxes.


During his exile on Saint Helena, Napoleon sends locks of his hair, cut by his loyal chamberlain Marchand. Upon the Emperor’s death, to create his death mask, his head is shaved, and his hair is distributed among the beneficiaries of his will, including the imperial family, Bertrand, and Las Cases.


Numerous locks have appeared at auction, such as one given by Las Cases to his son, sold at Osenat, Fontainebleau, November 20, 2016, lot 378; another at Piasa, December 4, 2006, lot 138; and a significant sale at Osenat, Fontainebleau, July 7, 2019, lot 240, accompanied by a letter from Constant dated 1811.


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