Gold Boxes, Fabergé and Objects of Vertu
Gold Boxes, Fabergé and Objects of Vertu
Property from an important European private collection
A gold, enamel and Roman micromosaic snuff box, Etienne-Louis Blerzy, Paris, circa 1804
Auction Closed
May 25, 03:15 PM GMT
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from an important European private collection
A gold, enamel and Roman micromosaic snuff box, Etienne-Louis Blerzy, Paris, circa 1804
oval, the lid set with a circular micromosaic of a leopard attacking a lamb before mountains, within red and blue tesserae border and circular gold chased frame, on a striking opaque pale blue enamel ground, within matted borders picked out in black enamel with stars, the sides divided by geometrical ornaments in black enamel, stylised geometrical border and black enamelled zig zag rim, reminiscent of the leopard's teeth against a finely matted ground, the base centred with a classical urn applied with a lion's head in black taille d'epargne enamel, on a finely matted ground, framed by an enamelled trailing ivy border, maker's mark, unofficial Paris baby's head 2ème titre, Paris petite garantie for 1798-1806, the rim numbered: 477 and inscribed:'26 Dbre 1804, Le Gal Dupont à Monsieur Bergon'
8.9cm., 3½in. wide
(2)
Presented on his wedding day, 26 December 1804, by General Pierre-Antoine, Comte Dupont de l’Etang (1765-1840) to Joseph Alexandre Bergon, father of his bride, Jeanne Josephine Grâce Bergon (1787-1858).
Pierre-Antoine, comte Dupont de l'Étang was a general of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as well as a political figure of the Bourbon Restoration. At the time of the presentation of this box, Dupont was - largely due to the support of Napoleon Bonaparte - a succesful general and, in the campaign of 1800, he was chief of staff to Louis-Alexandre Berthier, the nominal commander of the Army of Peierve of the Ains. Dupont earned further disctinction in the campaign on the Danube in 1805, before falling into the Emperor's disgrace about seven years later and an imprisonment between 1812 and 1814. Dupont was was however reinstated during the second Restoration in 1814, and appointed Minister of War in April of the same year, a function in which he only served four eight months due his reactionary politics.