A brass-mounted thuya wood travelling writing box by Guillaume Biennais for Jérome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia, Empire, early 19th century

of rectangular form, the cover with a rectangular plaque opening to reveal a recessed tooled leather panel above a tooled leather writing slide, with a brass handle on each side and a brass shield-shaped escutcheon, the lockplate signed Biennais Orf. re LL MM Imperiales et Royales a Paris, together with the trade card of Biennais and an ink inscribed list of "Etat des pièces composant le nécessaire de S.M. Le Roi de Westphalia"

Probably Jérôme  Bonaparte (1784-1860), King of Westphalia (1807–13).

In otherwise good conserved condition .Good colour match with photograph but the brass is less pink and more natural than in the catalogue photograph. The veneer is bubbling on the top. There are some cracks which, having been filled in the past, are opening up again on the top. One is approximately 12cm long, another is 8cm long and another is approximately 7cm long. There are also some minor areas of infill to the veneer on the top and restorations with some patching. The brass mounts have been lacquered and some of these are worn and dirty and would benefit from some further attention. There is evidence of some re-gluing to the brass corner-mounts on the base.The dark green leather inside the lid looks original but the rest is later.
"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."

This charming travelling writing box is intriguing as not only is it signed by Biennais and encloses his printed trade card, it also contains an ink inscribed list of items comprising the nécessaire of the King of Westphalia. Biennais is known to have produced such luxury items for Elise Bonaparte, Prince Eugène and Princess Pauline, Napoleon's sister.  A nécessaire de toilette belonging to Princess Pauline, by Biennais was sold  8th June 2007, 10th June 2007, at Jean-Pierre Osenat Fontainebleu. The brass plaque on the top of the offered writing box most probably had a cipher or coat-of-arms which have now been removed.
Jérôme Bonaparte, (1784-1860):
He was Napoleon I’s youngest brother, who became king of Westphalia and marshal of France. A member of the consular guard from 1800, Jérôme was transferred to the navy soon after he was wounded in a duel. Napoleon sent Jérôme to the French West Indian colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) in late 1801 as a member of the expeditionary forces to put down the slave revolt there. He was ordered to return to France in the summer of 1803. He met and soon married  in 1803, Elizabeth Patterson, the 18-year-old daughter of a wealthy merchant. The pair sailed for Europe in 1805. As Napoleon intended to expand his power in Europe by making politically advantageous marriages for his siblings, he ordered Jérôme’s pregnant wife to be excluded from his realm. He took command of a small squadron in the Mediterranean and took part in the campaign of 1806. An imperial decree annulled his Jérôme's first marriage in 1807. The emperor then arranged Jérôme’s marriage to Princess Catherine of Württemberg and made him king of Westphalia. During his short reign (1807–13), Jérôme spent enormous amounts of money on renovating his palace. In 1813, on the fall of the Napoleonic regime in Germany, Jérôme returned to France. He commanded a division at Waterloo. With Napoleon’s second abdication, Jérôme left France, spending most of the years of his exile in Italy. He returned to France in 1847, and, after the rise of his nephew Louis-Napoléon (as Napoleon III), he became, successively, governor of the Invalides, marshal of France and president of the Senate.

Martin Guillaume Biennais (1764-1853):
He was born in Lacochèe near Argentan on 29th Aril 1764. The Duc de Luynes in his Rapport sur l’industrie des métaux précieux à l’Exposition' of 1851 stated` Bonaparte having become Emperor, ordered from him large amounts of furniture, tabletterie, and nécessaires, not only for himself but for all of his relatives…’Jérôme Bonaparte purchased from him in 1800 a nécessaire de voyage when he was based at the Singe violet 238 rue Saint-Honoré. The imperial insignia used by Napoleon were made by Biennais and at the Exposition Industrielle of 1806, Biennais won a Gold Medal for the objects he exhibited. In 1806, he was appointed goldsmith to the Emperor. After Biennais’s death in 1843, it was written` When Bonaparte came back from Egypt he didn’t have any other fortune except glory and traders did not want to sell to him on credit. Biennais was the only one to accept this and he became Napoleon’s official goldsmith when he became Emperor.’
Napoleon’s appreciation for the credit given, was demonstrated when he returned to Paris in an increasing number of commissions for Biennais making silver, furniture and jewellery as well as chessboards and travelling cases, much of it ordered by Napoleon for his own use or for gift.  Biennais’s trade card read `Orfévre de S.M.l’Empereur et Roi' and another trade card lists the objects he made and interestingly it includes `ébénisterie’ (cabinet-work), one of which is contained by the offered travelling box.

A coffret écritoire with the arms of Talleyrand Prince de Bénévent, signed by Biennais, of similar form in acajou moucheté was sold from the collection of Gérard Souham 16^th September 2012, Rueil-Malmaison, France (31,000E).