- 242
Brochard-Legost active 1834-1835
bidding is closed
Description
- Brochard-Legost
- a pair of portraits of cardinal fesch and hortense de bonaparte
- the portrait of Cardinal Fesch signed l.r.: M.me Brochard LeGost; and inscribed verso: Fesch/ Le Cal Fesch né a Ajaccio le 3 Janvier 1736; the other bears an inscription verso: Hortense Bonaparte
porcelain, wood frame
The head and shoulders, half turned to the right, in the robes of Cardinal with the Star of The Legion of Honour about his neck and the Badge of the Legion of Honour to the right; she half-length wearing a jewelled crown and diadem and emerald and pearl necklace in a pink dress with white ruff
Catalogue Note
Cardinal Fesch (1763-1839) was the son of a Captain of a Swiss regiment who was the half brother of Napoleon's mother. Fesch was therefore Napoleon I's half uncle with whom he had close relations throughout his career. He was also Archdeacon and Provst of the Chapter of Ajaccio before 1789.
Fesch left Corsica for France when the English invaded the island in 1794 and entered the commissariat department of the army and was put in charge of the armée d'Italie by Napoleon. He later left the military to become Canon of Bastia, then Archbishop of Lyons and finally Cardinal.
In 1803 Napoleon appointed Fesch as Ambassador to Rome and in this capacity he was able to encourage and accompany Pope Pius VII to travel to France where Fesch blessed the marriage of Napoleon and Josephine and the Pope performed the coronation. He remained an influential figure in Napoleons personal and political life.
Horense de Bonaparte (née Beauharnais) became the Napoleon'e step-daughter after her father was executed in 1794 and her mother married the Emperor Napoleon I. Napoleon pressed his brother Louis Bonaparte, Count of St. Leu to marry Hortense in 1802. A few years later Luis was made King of Holland, a post he held until Napoleon forced him to abdicate and France and Holland were united.
Fesch left Corsica for France when the English invaded the island in 1794 and entered the commissariat department of the army and was put in charge of the armée d'Italie by Napoleon. He later left the military to become Canon of Bastia, then Archbishop of Lyons and finally Cardinal.
In 1803 Napoleon appointed Fesch as Ambassador to Rome and in this capacity he was able to encourage and accompany Pope Pius VII to travel to France where Fesch blessed the marriage of Napoleon and Josephine and the Pope performed the coronation. He remained an influential figure in Napoleons personal and political life.
Horense de Bonaparte (née Beauharnais) became the Napoleon'e step-daughter after her father was executed in 1794 and her mother married the Emperor Napoleon I. Napoleon pressed his brother Louis Bonaparte, Count of St. Leu to marry Hortense in 1802. A few years later Luis was made King of Holland, a post he held until Napoleon forced him to abdicate and France and Holland were united.