Description:

Dealer's Lot of Napoleon Bonaparte Secretarially Signed Political & Military Docs, 6 Pcs

An interesting group of six French documents, May 1803 - September 1803, secretarially signed on behalf of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), then First Consul of France, as "Bonaparte." We judge Napoleon's signatures to be secretarial, although others might think otherwise. The documents are additionally countersigned by various cabinet ministers including Minister of War Louis-Alexandre Berthier (1753-1815), Minister of the Interior Jean-Antoine Chaptal (1756-1832), and Secretary of State Hugues-Bernard Maret (1763-1839). Partly printed and partly manuscript on vellum and paper, and in generally very good condition. Please refer to catalog photos for additional information related to condition.

The lot includes, in categorical and chronological order:

Political Documents

1. A large 1p partly printed, partly manuscript document signed on vellum, printed [translated] "In the name of the French People / Bonaparte, first Consul of the French Republic" at top. Issued from the Château de Saint-Cloud, France on 27 Floréal l'An 11 (May 17, 1803). Secretarially signed by Napoleon as "Bonaparte" at center; signed by Interior Minister Jean-Antoine Chaptal at lower left; and signed by Secretary of State Hugues-Bernard Maret at lower right. With a full and complete embossed state seal located near the bottom. Expected wear and warping, else near fine. 18.125" x 14.25."

The document appoints Citizen Jacques Falques, President of the General Council, as President of the Assembly for the canton of Sassenage, in the department of Isère, in southeastern France, for a 6-year-long term.

2. A large 1p partly printed, partly manuscript document signed on pale green bifold paper, printed [translated] "In the name of the French People / Bonaparte, first Consul of the French Republic" at top. Issued from the Château de Saint-Cloud, France on 15 Fructidor l'An 11 (September 2, 1803). Secretarially signed by Napoleon as "Bonaparte" at center; signed by Interior Minister Chaptal at lower left; and signed by Secretary of State Maret at lower right. Bearing an embossed seal at bottom. Expected folds and isolated closed tears and minor breaks along folds. Scattered foxing and discoloration, else near fine. 11.25" x 16.75."

The document appoints Citizen Martin, President of the General Council, as President of the Assembly for the canton of Maximin (possibly Saint-Maximin in the Oise department of northern France.) Citizen Martin was required to pledge his loyalty in a vow reproduced in the text, in part [translated]: "I promise to maintain the Government instituted by the Constitution of the Republic, to observe its laws and its rules, to comply with the instructions given to me for their execution; to maintain the order in the assembly over which I preside; to not permit that it engages in any other object than those prescribed by the letter of the convocation; to not tolerate any coalition designed to attract or harass the freedom of its citizens, and to not do anything by hate or by favor…"

Military Documents

3. A 1p partly printed, partly manuscript document signed on vellum, printed [translated "French Republic / War Department" letterhead. Issued from the Château de Saint-Cloud, France, France on 15 Prairial L'An 11 (June 4, 1803). Secretarially signed by Napoleon as "Bonaparte" at center; signed by War Minister Louis-Alexandre Berthier at lower left; and signed by Secretary of State Maret at lower right. Missing its seal. Expected wear including isolated discoloration and stray pencil marks, else near fine. 9.125" x 13."

The document grants a brevet promotion of lieutenant to Pierre Charles Canauls of the 52nd Brigade of the Line. It includes his military service record, and under the "Campaigns, Actions, Injuries" column, states that Canauls served on land and on sea and fought with the l'Armée du Nord in the Vendée region, in the West, and in Italy.

4. A 1p partly printed, partly manuscript document signed on vellum, printed [translated "French Republic / War Department" letterhead. Issued from the Château de Saint-Cloud, France, France on 30 Fructidor L'An 11 (September 17, 1803). Secretarially signed by Napoleon as "Bonaparte" at center; signed by War Minister Berthier at lower left; and signed by Secretary of State Maret at lower right. Bearing an embossed seal at lower left. Expected wear and warping, else near fine. 9.25" x 13."

The document grants a brevet promotion of sub-lieutenant to Charles Jean Garson of the 10th Brigade Light Infantry. It includes his military service record from his enlistment in April 1792 to the present day.

5. A 1p partly printed, partly manuscript document signed on vellum, printed [translated "French Republic / War Department" letterhead. Issued from the Château de Saint-Cloud, France, France on 30 Fructidor L'An 11 (September 17, 1803). Secretarially signed by Napoleon as "Bonaparte" at center; signed by War Minister Berthier at lower left; and signed by Secretary of State Maret at lower right. Bearing an embossed seal at lower left. Expected wear and warping, else near fine. 9.375" x 13.25."

The document grants a brevet promotion of sub-lieutenant to "Citizen Desseine" of the 56th Brigade of the Line. It includes his military service record, and under the "Campaigns, Actions, Injuries" column, states that Desseine served with l'Armée du Rhin in the West, and in Italy.

6. A 1p partly printed, partly manuscript document signed on vellum, printed [translated "French Republic / War Department" letterhead. Issued from the Château de Saint-Cloud, France, France on 30 Fructidor L'An 11 (September 17, 1803). Secretarially signed by Napoleon as "Bonaparte" at center; signed by War Minister Berthier at lower left; and signed by Secretary of State Maret at lower right. Bearing an embossed seal at lower left. Expected wear and warping, else near fine. 9.25" x 13.25."

The document grants a brevet promotion of captain to "Citoyen Fouet" of the 56th Brigade of the Line. It includes his military service record, and under the "Campaigns, Actions, Injuries" column, states that Fouet served with l'Armée du Nord, l'Armée de l'Italie, and with the short-lived Armée des Côtes de L'Océan (active January - September 1796.)

Napoleon Bonaparte served as First Consul of the French Republic from December 1799 to May 1804. He was coronated Emperor of France seven months later, in December 1804.

Please see our terms and conditions for large lots.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

May 31, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000