Lot 1082
Napoleon I (1769-1821), Military and political leader, Emperor of the French; established the Napoleonic Code .
Letter signed "Bonaparte" as General, 8¾" x 13¾", two pages (both sides of the same leaf), May 18, 1798; on ornate illustrated letterhead to "General Vence Commander of the Armies", translated in full:
To the Major General at Moulay. 18th May Year 6 of the Republic
One and Indivisible
Bonaparte, Member of the Institut National, General in Chief
of the Army of England
To General Vence, Commander of the Armies
I have given orders, Citizen General, to the ordinance commissioner to equip twelve dispatch boats to maintain frequent contact between the army and the port. I should like to dispatch at least two every ten days.
You will send the first ones between the islands of Elba and Corsica. As the channel is extremely narrow they should be able to find out if the Iseadre can use this route. At the same time they will find out from Intelligence about the lower route she used.
I have ordered the two best Venetian vessels to be armed for war and two frigates to be equipped as cargo boats.
Bonaparte
Very Fine; professionally matted and framed to 15¼" x 20" (open on both sides to display both pages of the letter). That frame is then hinged onto a 28" x 44" display frame below a colored portrait of Bonaparte and a colored engraving of a battle scene from Napoleon's Egyptian Expedition; the framed document can then be lifted to reveal not only the second page of the letter, but mounted beneath the frame is an engraved plaque containing the letter's full transcription.
Estimate $4,000 - 5,000
Expertization: Kenneth Laurence COA.
In March of 1798, Napoleon's military plans to invade Egypt were approved, and on May 9, Napoleon and his troops departed from Toulon. The land battles were successful and Napoleon was eventually able to take command of the area. However, his position was weakened due to the defeat of his naval forces by the British under Horation Nelson. In 1799, seeing that he could not be assured of futher exploits to bolster his reputation, Napoleon returned to France from Egypt, and with the Treaty of Paris of June, 1802, Egypt was resecured by the Ottoman Empire.
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| Realized $3,500 |
