AN IVORY MINIATURE OF WILLIAM OF WÜRTTEMBERG, JOHANN MICHEL HOLDER, 1830 | An ivory miniature of William of Württemberg, Johann Michel Holder, 1830

rectangular, wearing a blue uniform with red piping, gold epaulettes and lace, with the star of the Order of the Crown of Württemberg and the badge of the Württemberg Order of Military Merit, stamped gilt-metal mount, on a rectangular crimson plush-coved panel, applied with a plaque inscribed: ’S. M le Roi Guillaume 1er de Wurtemberg’

Prince Victor Napoléon, Napoléon V (1862-1926);
Prince Louis Napoléon (1914-1997

Five substantial vertical cracks and a few smaller cracks, the ivory curved at both ends.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Johann Michael Holder (1796–1861), having initially taught himself the rudiments of painting, studied under Phillips Friedrich von Hertsch, court painter to the royal house of Württemberg in Stuttgart. After spending some time in Dresden and Munich, where he made miniature copies of the Old Masters, he returned to Stuttgart, remaining there until his death. His received extensive patronage from the royal court. Such was his success that his younger brother Gottlieb helped him with the production. He was quick to understand the commercial possibilities of the new medium of photography, advertising his services for taking daguerrotypes from 1845, and, in the later 1850s, pannotypes, a less expensive process that he pioneered. A variant of this miniature, of similar size but with a dark background, signed and dated 1830, was sold Sotheby’s London, 1 December 1987, lot 125.

William of Württemberg (1781 – 1864) was the father of Princess Catharina Frederica of Württemberg (1783 – 1835), who was Queen consort of Westphalia by marriage to Jérôme Bonaparte between 1807 and 1813.