An Imperial Sèvres Porcelain and Other Aristocratic Treasures at Drouot
The Bourbons & Valois section will open the sale with Sèvres porcelains from royal services. However, it is undoubtedly the Bonaparte section that will attract particular attention: paintings, sculptures, objects and documents form a rich ensemble, including a study for the portrait of the King of Rome by Prud’hon (lot 127, estimated at €10,000–€15,000), an Imperial medal cabinet bearing the great arms of Napoleon (lot 122, estimated at €12,000–€15,000), a rare shop sign from the Consulate period, and a personal seal of Napoleon III in tricolour agate (lot 157, estimated at €20,000–€30,000).
Among the highlights of the sale, one work stands out for both its provenance and quality: the jardinière of Empress Eugénie, produced by the Imperial Sèvres manufactory around 1866. Of oval “Louis XV” form, in hard-paste porcelain with pâte-sur-pâte decoration on a celadon ground, it depicts allegories of Spring and Summer. Resting on gilt-bronze dolphin feet and a red griotte marble base, the piece embodies the refinement of the Second Empire.
Beyond its aesthetic qualities, it carries a singular history: acquired by the Empress in 1866, probably exhibited at the 1867 Exposition Universelle, it accompanied her into exile in England following the fall of the regime. Reappearing on the market at the beginning of the twentieth century, it now stands as a rare testament to the taste of Eugénie de Montijo, estimated at €40,000–€60,000.
The journey continues with the Orléans chapter, notably including elements from the rose service of the Duke of Orléans and porcelains delivered to Queen Marie-Amélie. The sections devoted to the French nobility and foreign royal families present a rich group of archives, correspondence, medals and diplomatic objects.
Finally, the sale gives pride of place to objets de vertu—enamelled gold snuffboxes and pieces of silverware—as well as to masterworks from the Henri Klinger collection, with a remarkable selection of compagnonnage masterpieces.
