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Lot Essay
According to family tradition the box was presented to the family of the current owner by Ferdinand I (1751-1825), King of the Two Sicilies (1816-1825) in recognition of their close friendship to the King who would often stay with the family at their home in Sicily. It has remained with the family ever since and spent the years of the Second World War buried in an ammunition tin in the garden of the family home to keep it from coming to any harm.
Ferdinand I had previously been King of Naples (1759-1799, 1799-1805 and 1815-1816) as Ferdinand IV and King of Sicily (1759-1816) as Ferdinand III. A Spanish Bourbon, Ferdinand succeeded in 1759 to the two kingdoms when his father and predecessor became King of Spain as Charles III. Ferdinand was the third son of Charles III of Spain, also King of Naples and Sicily, and his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony. On 10 August 1759 Charles succeeded his elder brother, Ferdinand VI, as King Charles III of Spain. Treaty provisions, however, made Charles unable to hold all three crowns, and so on 6 October 1759 he abdicated as King of Naples and Sicily in favour of his third son Ferdinand who became Ferdinand IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinand III of the Kingdom of Sicily. Ferdinand was the founder of the Two Sicilies branch of the House of Bourbon. One may speculate as to whether the present box came into the possession of Ferdinand by acquisition from a marchand-mercier or more plausibly from his mother Maria Amalia of Saxony (1724-1760) a grandaughter of Augustus the Strong.
Ferdinand I had previously been King of Naples (1759-1799, 1799-1805 and 1815-1816) as Ferdinand IV and King of Sicily (1759-1816) as Ferdinand III. A Spanish Bourbon, Ferdinand succeeded in 1759 to the two kingdoms when his father and predecessor became King of Spain as Charles III. Ferdinand was the third son of Charles III of Spain, also King of Naples and Sicily, and his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony. On 10 August 1759 Charles succeeded his elder brother, Ferdinand VI, as King Charles III of Spain. Treaty provisions, however, made Charles unable to hold all three crowns, and so on 6 October 1759 he abdicated as King of Naples and Sicily in favour of his third son Ferdinand who became Ferdinand IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinand III of the Kingdom of Sicily. Ferdinand was the founder of the Two Sicilies branch of the House of Bourbon. One may speculate as to whether the present box came into the possession of Ferdinand by acquisition from a marchand-mercier or more plausibly from his mother Maria Amalia of Saxony (1724-1760) a grandaughter of Augustus the Strong.