NAPOLEON I (1769-1821)

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Details

NAPOLEON I (1769-1821)
A pair of boot hooks, constructed in steel with hinged handles and set within a plush-lined brass-inlaid mahogany presentation box with engraved brass plate inside lid inscribed BOOTHOOKS Originally belonging to the EMPEROR NAPOLEON IST Presented to the late CAPTAIN WILLIAM MC.ILWAINE R.N. BY COUNT MARCHAND -- 2¼ x 13 x 5in. (6 x 33 x 13cm.)

Provenance

Napoleon I to Louis Marchand
Count Louis Marchand to William McIlwaine and thence by descent.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

William McIlwaine was a young midshipman serving on HMS Bellerophon, the vessel chosen to return Napoleon to exile on St. Helena. Choosing to remain with the Emperor's entourage on arrival, it is presumed that Louis Marchand [the Emperor's valet] presented this lot to McIlwaine as a keep sake of the Emperor on his death in 1821.

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