(Napoleon , Emperor of the French)

An early nineteenth century service boat flag, almost certainly used by Napoleon at the Isle of Elba, 1814–1815



White wool bunting discolored to gray, seamed horizontally in three widths with a seven inch wide strip of burgundy wool bunting inserted in the fly running diagonally across the fly from the upper leading edge corner to the lower fly corner. Inserted in the burgundy stripe are three pieces of silk fabric, cut to the shape and painted on both sides to resemble bees. The leading edge of the fly is wrapped with linen fabric. Four pairs of wide plain white silk ribbon attached to upper and lower corners and at the edge of each horizontal seam. Generally in good condition with minor holes throughout the fly, the bee on the lower fly end fractured with some loss on the lower portion of the body, silk ties weak with some loss



Dimensions:



47 in. (hoist) x 67 in. (fly)

 Calvin Bullock (purchased from the Wannamaker Collection, April 1941, lot 718) — Hugh Bullock (by descent) — present owner by private purchase

An early nineteenth century service boat flag, almost certainly used by Napoleon at the Isle of Elba, 1814–1815 White wool bunting discolored to gray, seamed horizontally in three widths with a seven inch wide strip of burgundy wool bunting inserted in the fly running diagonally across the fly from the upper leading edge corner to the lower fly corner. Inserted in the burgundy stripe are three pieces of silk fabric, cut to the shape and painted on both sides to resemble bees. The leading edge of the fly is wrapped with linen fabric. Four pairs of wide plain white silk ribbon attached to upper and lower corners and at the edge of each horizontal seam. Generally in good condition with minor holes throughout the fly, the bee on the lower fly end fractured with some loss on the lower portion of the body, silk ties weak with some loss Dimensions: 47 in. (hoist) x 67 in. (fly)
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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The flag designed by Napoleon for Elba, the newly sovereign and independent state.

On 14 April 1814, Napoleon was granted the sovereignty of the small island of Elba under Article III of the Treaty of Fontainebleau. He departed Fontainebleau on 20 April for the south of France with an enormous entourage for security purposes. It proved to be an arduous and fraught journey with angry masses growing increasingly hostile as the entourage progressed southward. A week after leaving Fontainbleau, the entourage arrived at Frejus where a French sloop was to be waiting to transport Napoleon to Elba and thereafter remain his personal property. Only the English frigate, the Undaunted, lay waiting. When the French frigate finally arrived under a Bourbon flag, Napoleon refused to board, preferring to sail under a foreign flag than that of a French king. He sailed for Elba on 29 April 1814 aboard the Undaunted.

It was onboard the frigate that the Emperor designed the present flag. As a newly sovereign and independent state, Elba required its own emblem to signify its independent existence. Surely, Napoleon required a standard at the very least for the recognition of his comings and goings to and from the island.

Napoleon devised the flag based on the Medici design when Florence ruled Elba, a burgundy diagonal stripe against a white background. He then incorporated the three golden bees as they were a favored motif and included in his arms as Emperor. The ship's tailor quickly stitched two examples of the new flag: one to fly from the ramparts of the fort when the new king landed and the second to adorn the ship's slip that carried him ashore. Given the size of the present flag, it might be surmised that it was used to fly from a small launch or similar vessel.

A contemporary illustration of the Elba flag of three bees on a burgundy diagonal against a white field is depicted in a small woodcut vignette on the cover of the London exhibition catalogue entitled, A Short Description of the Island of Elba, and town of Porto-Ferrajo, published in 1815 as a guide to a painted panoramic view of the island on touring exhibition. This depiction matches the design of the flag presently offered.

A substantial collection of Napoleonic artifacts was ammassed by Prince Anatole Demidoff following his marriage to the daughter of Jerome Bonaparte. Demidoff founded a museum in one of the four residences occupied by the Emperor on Elba, the house at San Martino. The museum existed for thirty years and then was dispersed by Prince Demidoff''s nephew, Paul Demidoff, in a sale in Florence on 15 March 1880. Included in this sale was a banner of Elba but the whereabouts of this flag is unknown.

Napoleonic relics from the Elba period are excessively rare. No record of an Elba flag besides the present example can be found in twentieth-century auction records.

[Together with:] Painted pole displayed with the flag along with the rest of his collection at 1 Wall Street and described as "The Flag of the Service-Boat used by Napoleon at Elbe Isle. Original pole and flag of service-boat used daily by Napoleon during his sojourn on Elbe Isle . . . ."