Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia: A Royal silver soup tureen and stand, Johann Georg Hann, Vienna, 1803, the cover by Jean-Baptiste Claude Odiot, Paris, 1798-1809

the stand on four paw feet, the sides of the tureen applied with laurel wreaths alternating with female masks topped by pairs of birds, the foliate scroll handles topped by fully-modeled putti, the cover with bud finial, fitted with a two-handled plated liner

rubbing to high spots, crease and split in center of stem, a little rough under rim, surface bright
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The base engraved with inscription "Executé sur l'ordre de S.M. L'EMPEREUR NAPOLEON 1er pour S.M. LE ROI JEROME."

Jérôme Bonaparte, (1784-1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon I, who named him King of Westphalia and Marshal of France.  He served in the French navy from 1801 in Haiti, then visited the United States, where in Baltimore he met and soon married  Elizabeth Patterson, the 18-year-old daughter of a wealthy merchant.  The marriage was annulled by Napoleon.

The inscription links this tureen with Jérôme's appointment to the short-lived Kingdom of Westphalia (1807-1813), in northwestern Germany.  When Jérôme and his new wife Catherine of Wurttemburg arrived at Kassel, the palaces were in a plundered state.  Expensive refurbishments were ordered from Paris and elsewhere, and most likely the offered tureen was supplied at this time.  It may itself have been loot from the first conquest of Vienna, two years before.  

After the fall of Napoleon, Jérôme sold much of his silver in Stuttgart in 1819; part was acquired by Seethaler and sold to the King of Bavaria, where it is preserved in the Residenzmuseum Munich; other pieces are in the Hessisches Landesmuseum.  A further group was apparently dispersed in the 1950s.