The son of Emperor Napoleon I and Empress Marie Louise, the sitter was given the courtesy title of the King of Rome. When Napoleon I abdicated in 1814 he named his son as Emperor, however this title was not acknowledged and Napoleon II was forced to abdicate after a few days. He renounced not only his rights to the throne, but his descendants' rights also but was granted the right to use the title of Prince of Parma, of Placentia and of Guastalla. From 1814 he lived in Austria where he studied and began an unremarkable military career. In 1832 he died of tuberculosis following a bout of pneumonia. He died at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna.
We are indebted to Dr Dimitri Gorchkoff for his assistance in the preparation of this catalogue entry.