Description
PAIR OF CONSOLES From the Royal Palace of Bologna and the former collection of Josephine Eugenie Napoleone de Beauharnais, Duchess of Galliera, and Oscar I, King of Sweden and Norway Bologna, 18th century Carved, painted, and gilt wood H. 81 cm, W. 199 cm, D. 86 cm Marks, on each console: N crowned in a circle, accompanied by MR repeated twice Old inventory number, on each console: 1823 / Palazzo di S.A.R. / la Ducchessa di Galliera / marca dell'ambiente N. 9 / marca dell'inventario N. 587 Old labels, on each console: Palazzo R. di Bologna / Quartiere [...] / Camera N. III / N. 9; on one console only: [Du]cato di Galliera / Inventario 1837 / N[...] and Duca di Galliera / N. 555 PROVENANCE Former collection Caprara Family, Palazzo Caprara in Bologna Former collection Josephine Eugenie Napoleone de Beauharnais (1807-1876), Princess of Bologna and Leuchtenberg, Duchess of Galliera, then by marriage Queen of Sweden and Norway, Palazzo Caprara in Bologna Collection of the Marquis Raffaele Luigi de Ferrari (1803-1876), duke of Galliera, then by transmission of the title, Palazzo Caprara, also known as Palazzo Galliera, in Bologna This rare pair of consoles with curved forms presents a top and runners in wood painted in imitation of a green marble. The molded belt is decorated with a large acanthus leaf in the center. It rests on four curved legs with a crook-shaped scroll, ending in a lion's paw and joined by a spacer centered on foliage scrolls stamped with a fleuron found on each foot. The MR mark and the crowned N testify to the prestigious provenance of our consoles which were part of the Royal Furniture (Mobilia Reale) of Princess Jospéhine de Beauharnais, first Duchess of Galliera. Josephine Eugenie Napoleone was the daughter of Eugene de Beauharnais, First Duke of Leuchtenberg. She had the same name as her maternal grandmother, Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon I. On her father's side, she was the granddaughter of Maximilian I, King of Bavaria. The bishop of Milan Giovanni Battista, who came from the same family, crowned Napoleon King of Italy in 1805. The arrival of the Emperor-King in Bologna encouraged the Viceroy of Italy to requisition the Palazzo Caprara, which became the residence of the young Duchess of Galliera (fig. 1). In 1823, Napoleon's granddaughter married Oscar I of Sweden. She was known as Queen Josefina, a great lover and protector of the arts.
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PAIR OF CONSOLES From the Royal Palace of Bologna and the former collection of Josephine Eugenie Napoleone de Beauharnais, Duchess of Galliera, and Oscar I, King of Sweden and Norway Bologna, 18th century Carved, painted, and gilt wood H. 81 cm, W. 199 cm, D. 86 cm Marks, on each console: N crowned in a circle, accompanied by MR repeated twice Old inventory number, on each console: 1823 / Palazzo di S.A.R. / la Ducchessa di Galliera / marca dell'ambiente N. 9 / marca dell'inventario N. 587 Old labels, on each console: Palazzo R. di Bologna / Quartiere [...] / Camera N. III / N. 9; on one console only: [Du]cato di Galliera / Inventario 1837 / N[...] and Duca di Galliera / N. 555 PROVENANCE Former collection Caprara Family, Palazzo Caprara in Bologna Former collection Josephine Eugenie Napoleone de Beauharnais (1807-1876), Princess of Bologna and Leuchtenberg, Duchess of Galliera, then by marriage Queen of Sweden and Norway, Palazzo Caprara in Bologna Collection of the Marquis Raffaele Luigi de Ferrari (1803-1876), duke of Galliera, then by transmission of the title, Palazzo Caprara, also known as Palazzo Galliera, in Bologna This rare pair of consoles with curved forms presents a top and runners in wood painted in imitation of a green marble. The molded belt is decorated with a large acanthus leaf in the center. It rests on four curved legs with a crook-shaped scroll, ending in a lion's paw and joined by a spacer centered on foliage scrolls stamped with a fleuron found on each foot. The MR mark and the crowned N testify to the prestigious provenance of our consoles which were part of the Royal Furniture (Mobilia Reale) of Princess Jospéhine de Beauharnais, first Duchess of Galliera. Josephine Eugenie Napoleone was the daughter of Eugene de Beauharnais, First Duke of Leuchtenberg. She had the same name as her maternal grandmother, Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon I. On her father's side, she was the granddaughter of Maximilian I, King of Bavaria. The bishop of Milan Giovanni Battista, who came from the same family, crowned Napoleon King of Italy in 1805. The arrival of the Emperor-King in Bologna encouraged the Viceroy of Italy to requisition the Palazzo Caprara, which became the residence of the young Duchess of Galliera (fig. 1). In 1823, Napoleon's granddaughter married Oscar I of Sweden. She was known as Queen Josefina, a great lover and protector of the arts.
