220 - IMPORTANT CAMEOS OF EMPEROR NAPOLEON I, PROBABLY GIVEN TO EMPRESS MARIE-LOUISE AS A WEDDING GIFT IN 1810

IMPORTANT CAMEOS OF EMPEROR NAPOLEON I, PROBABLY GIVEN TO EMPRESS MARIE-LOUISE AS A WEDDING GIFT IN 1810 Angelo ARGENTI (born in Rome and active in Paris in the early 19th century), attributed to. Large oval cameo in two-layered reddish-brown agate, carved in white with a left-facing profile of Napoleon I, laureated in bust form like a Roman emperor, against a bluish ribbon-like background creating the illusion of lightning. Set in silver with a suspension ring. In its original imperial gift case of red morocco leather, stamped with the cipher of Emperor Napoleon I—an “N” beneath an imperial crown in gold letters. First Empire period, circa 1810. H. 9 x W. 6.8 cm (cameo). Provenance - Probably presented by Emperor Napoleon I to his wife, Empress Marie-Louise, on the occasion of their marriage in 1810 (sources: National Archives). - Manny Davidson Collection, Monaco. - Private collection, France. History Our cameo depicts Napoleon I in left-side profile, his head encircled by a laurel wreath held in place by a band tied at the nape of his neck, with the ends falling down his neck. This finely engraved effigy follows directly in the tradition of portraits of Roman emperors, much like the cameo depicting Emperor Claudius, long held in the prestigious collections of the Dukes of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace and offered for sale by Christie’s in 2023 (ill. 1). Our portrait of Napoleon as a Roman emperor stands out for its exceptional dimensions, which are of a rare scale for a cameo. To the best of our knowledge, only one other cameo from the Empire period combines such a large size with such high-quality craftsmanship: the one offered for sale by Fraysse & Associés in 2014 (sold for €361,050, ill. 2). The extraordinary size of our stone, combined with the finesse of the engraving, leaves little doubt as to the imperial origin of the commission. The original case, stamped with the crowned “N,” attests to this provenance. A review of the archives of the Emperor’s House reveals a single commission that could correspond to our piece: “a large cameo, depicting the bust of His Majesty engraved on fine stone, for the agreed price of six thousand francs. ” (National Archives, O/2/33, f° 398 and O/2/41, f° 154). Angelo Argenti, a Roman engraver, remains little known today, likely due to the absence of a signature on his works—a common practice among engravers on precious stones. Nevertheless, he is the creator of remarkable works, as evidenced by the prestige of his patrons, including Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, for whom he produced a cameo portrait (location unknown to date). In September 1808, he traveled to the Château de Valençay to create portraits of the Spanish princes who were being held captive there: Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias, the future King Ferdinand VII of Spain (1784–1833), his brother Don Carlos (1788–1855), and their uncle Don Antonio (1755–1817). On November 29, 1808, he left Valençay for Paris, where he appears to have settled at least until 1810. That year, he was paid for the delivery of “a large cameo depicting the bust of His Majesty engraved on semi-precious stone, for Her Majesty the Empress.” This commission was included among the jewels and diamonds in the wedding chest presented by the Emperor to Marie-Louise on the occasion of their marriage. The reference to a “large” cameo, as well as the considerable price of 6,000 francs paid by Napoleon, indicate a stone of substantial size, such as the one in our collection. By way of comparison, when Argenti was commissioned again the following year, as part of the celebrations marking the birth of the King of Rome, he delivered a cameo bearing the Emperor’s portrait, intended as a gift, valued at only 700 francs (AN, O/2/41, fol. 321 and 324). The cameo, a technique of engraving on hard stone inherited from antiquity, experienced a golden age during the Roman era. While this art form endured through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, it was during the First French Empire that it experienced its most spectacular revival. Under the influence of antiquity, which shaped the new neoclassical aesthetic, the cameo enjoyed great success. This reference to Greco-Roman motifs in the arts of the First Empire was greatly amplified by the excavations launched in 1799 at Pompeii and Herculaneum, and further intensified by the Murat couple upon their accession to the throne of Naples in 1808. But it was also the Emperor’s personal taste that contributed to this new boom in cameos. Even when he was still Bonaparte, the young general was already a great lover of cameos and intaglios, many of which he brought back from his Italian campaign. Napoleon’s personal fascination with the