“LE PLUMIER DE NAPOLÉON” Cylindrical mahogany... Lot 154

“LE PLUMIER DE NAPOLÉON” Cylindrical mahogany and walnut burr veneer pen box inlaid with faceted steel pearls, decorated in chased steel in medallions at the ends, on one side with the figure of Hermes, on the other with the Three Graces, mounted on hinges (missing a part of the clasp). It contains a writing set composed of a black lacquered wood pencil holder with gold trimmings (Paris, 1789-1792), a vermeil mechanical pencil with two gold rings (Paris, 1819-1838), an ebony and steel letter opener (paper cutter), four goose bone penholders, a wooden pencil marked DOBBS (London, 1810-c. 1820) and another one surrounded by a string marked H. MORELL (London); and a piece of folded paper tied with a green ribbon, inscribed "Pains à cacheter du nécessaire des batailles" probably in the hand of General Bertrand, with traces of a red wax seal, comprising several round and flattened polychrome loaves (pieces of unleavened bread tinted and cut into a circle that are moistened with the lips to close a letter in lieu of wax). Attributed to Martin-Guillaume BIENNAIS (1764-1843), First Empire period. L. 18 cm x D. 6 cm. Provenance - Probably the pen box of the battles of the Emperor Napoleon and his exile in Saint Helena. - It is said to have been brought back by General-Count Bertrand (1773-1844) on his return from St. Helena in 1821. - Then kept in his descendants. - Sale Maître Pierre Poulain (Avranches), Saturday November 12, 1983, Mont Saint-Michel, expert Charles Marchal (1922-2015), as "Napoleon's pen box", sold for 100.000 francs. - Collection Guy Degrenne (1925-2006), French industrialist (bought at this sale). - Then by descent. Related work A gilt travel kit with the arms of Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia, hallmarked Martin-Guillaume Biennais, Paris, 1807-1809, in its cylindrical mahogany case similar to ours, sold at Tajan, 15 December 2021, lot 13. History At the time of its last auction in 1983, reported by an article in Ouest France written by the journalist Michel Le Jeune (1948-2016), this pen box was described as the one used during Napoleon's last campaigns and his exile in Saint Helena. It would be thus and to our knowledge the only known pen box of the Emperor Napoleon. It was put up for sale at the time by the direct descendants of General Bertrand, which Me Poulain, the auctioneer at the time, recently confirmed to us. Several clues allow us to share this attribution. First of all, the luxurious manufacture of this pen box, strongly attributable to Biennais, with steel inlays that can be found notably in Josephine's jewel box-writer (Malmaison). The dating of the hallmarks of the mechanical pencils, corresponding to the period, as well as the presence of English pencils, which seems normal since Napoleon was supplied by the English on St. Helena (see below). But above all, the mention of the "necessary of battles", carefully inscribed on the knotted piece of paper, most probably in Bertrand's own hand, according to comparisons with autograph letters of the one who accompanied the Emperor until his last breath, on May 5, 1821. Now, for someone to have taken the trouble to note the provenance of these modest sealing loaves, it must have been prestigious: and it is! The battle kit The golden kit called "of the battles" is the one that the Emperor bequeathed to his son the King of Rome in his will (April 15-25, 1821) and that he designated in these terms: "My golden kit, the one that served me on the morning of Ulm, of Austerlitz, of Jena, of Eylau, of Friedland, of the Island of Lobau, of the Moskowa, of Montmirail; under this point of view, I wish that it be precious to my son. (Count Bertrand has been its custodian since 1814)." Napoleon himself indicates that Bertrand was indeed in possession of this kit since the end of the Empire. It was he who donated it to the City of Paris in 1840. Here is what the Grand Marshal says about it: "In April 1814, the Emperor had asked M. de Turenne, master of his wardrobe, to examine his kits and to choose one that he wanted to present to me. M. de Turenne proposed to His Majesty to give me his large set which was not very portable. The Emperor graciously gave it to me. In 1815, at Rochefort, when he said that it would be pleasant for him if I brought his large battle kit, and that he would pay me the value of it. I answered that I would make it come very willingly, since such was his will, but that I attached too much price to this beautiful present to give up being its owner. The Emperor, animated in his last moments by the desire to surround his son with all the memories that could remind him of the glory of his father, expressed the intention that this piece of furniture be joined to all the other objects that he left to his only legitimate descendant." After the death of the King of Rome, the Grand Marshal considered that the necessary, - and, much more, the