.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
PAULINE BORGHESE
Pauline Bonaparte (1780-1825) was the second sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. Her first husband, general Charles Leclerc, died after only a few years of marriage. In 1803 she married Camillo Borghese, Prince of Sulmona. Pauline Borghese was known for being fun-loving and extravagant, as suggested by the famous statue of her realised by Antonio Canova. She was also the only Bonaparte sibling who always remained faithful to Napoleon and visited him in exile on Elba. On Jacques-Louis David’s monumental painting depicting the 1804 coronation, Napoleon’s sisters and sisters-in-law stand behind Empress Josephine. From left to right: Elisa Baciocchi, Pauline Borghese, Caroline Murat, Hortense de Beauharnais and Julie Clary. Pauline Borghese can be spotted wearing a wheat sheaf tiara. The provenance of lot 1 can be traced back to Pauline Borghese through family inheritance.
EARS OF WHEAT
Ears of wheat, or épis de blés in French, were one of the most prominent decorative themes in jewellery under the First French Empire. This period was stylistically marked by a revival of classical antiquity, inspired by recently excavated archeological sites such as Pompei and Herculaneum. In fashion this translated into simple dresses with high waistlines that were a canvas for elaborate parures. Ears of wheat are an attribute of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, the harvest, fertility and prosperity. Ears of wheat were often executed as separate diamond, gold and silver brooches that could be arranged freely on a dress or hairstyle, either separately or bundled as wheat sheaves.
Pauline Bonaparte (1780-1825) was the second sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. Her first husband, general Charles Leclerc, died after only a few years of marriage. In 1803 she married Camillo Borghese, Prince of Sulmona. Pauline Borghese was known for being fun-loving and extravagant, as suggested by the famous statue of her realised by Antonio Canova. She was also the only Bonaparte sibling who always remained faithful to Napoleon and visited him in exile on Elba. On Jacques-Louis David’s monumental painting depicting the 1804 coronation, Napoleon’s sisters and sisters-in-law stand behind Empress Josephine. From left to right: Elisa Baciocchi, Pauline Borghese, Caroline Murat, Hortense de Beauharnais and Julie Clary. Pauline Borghese can be spotted wearing a wheat sheaf tiara. The provenance of lot 1 can be traced back to Pauline Borghese through family inheritance.
EARS OF WHEAT
Ears of wheat, or épis de blés in French, were one of the most prominent decorative themes in jewellery under the First French Empire. This period was stylistically marked by a revival of classical antiquity, inspired by recently excavated archeological sites such as Pompei and Herculaneum. In fashion this translated into simple dresses with high waistlines that were a canvas for elaborate parures. Ears of wheat are an attribute of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, the harvest, fertility and prosperity. Ears of wheat were often executed as separate diamond, gold and silver brooches that could be arranged freely on a dress or hairstyle, either separately or bundled as wheat sheaves.