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THIS MONTH'S OBJECT
All the great events of the First and Second Empires were seized upon as occasions for the production of commemorative medals, whether in gold, silver, bronze or even brass, the expense of the material being directly related to the rank of the recipient. The medals struck for the baptism of the Prince Impérial took as their model those made for the baptism of the Roi de Rome.
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AUCTION I
Auction of Eugénie portrait by Le Grey
At its First and Second Empire auction in Fontainebleau on 24 and 25 June, the auctioneers Osenat is to put up for sale an exceptional portrait of the Empress Eugénie by the painter and photographer Gustave Le Gray. The work was commissioned by the Pasha of Egypt, and he gave it to the Empress on the occasion of the inauguration of the Suez Canal in 1869. The starting price for this rare work 150,000 euros ! © Sebert
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AUCTION II
Auction of Sidney Smith's account of Toulon
Six pages of manuscript by the enigmatic British admiral Sidney Smith, one of Nelson's greatest rivals, recounting the Siege of Toulon from the British side is to go under the hammer in Shropshire UK. A fascinating view of the other side at this seminal moment in Napoleon's destiny, including details of the attack by the French, the Council of War held by the allies, the mass panic of both civil and military personnel, Smith's own action in burning the French Fleet, mention of HMS Victory, and 600 galley slaves whom the French had unchained for the purpose of the battle.
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200 YEARS AGO
On 19 June, 1806, Napoleon wrote to Talleyrand, Minister for Foreign affairs, asking him to pass a message to Ali Pasha after meeting with the Turkish ambassadors in Paris, 5 June, 1806.
«Here is the reply to be made to Ali Pasha's letter: «That his favourable disposition is known to me; that I have received his sabre with pleasure; that I am the Sublime Porte's friend, and that I honour him; taht he should try to tame the Serbians and to contain the Greeks, who in fact are the abettors of Russia; that he can count on my protection; that having sent a part of my fleet to the Great Indies, and requiring other ships for a descent upon Britain, I can only send him a fleet to be stationed of Corfou which is equal to those of the Russians and the British, but that he should precipitate nothing; that Russia has decided to hand over to me the mouth of the Cattaro; that by this means I shall be able to bring him all possible assistance; that his vessesl shall always be welcomed in my ports… » […] » (Correspondance n°10378)
The Ottoman Empire, with its possessions in Asia, Africa and also continental Europe (notably in the Balkans), was for a long time an ally of France, dating from the reign of Louis XVI. However, Egyptian expedition and the land victory at Aboukir (1799) drove the Pasha into the arms of Britain and Russia. With the capitulation of French forces in Egypt in 1800 and the Peace of Amiens in 1802, the Ottoman Empire became more friendly with France.
The Franco-Turkish alliance was further strengthened after the Treaty of Presbourg where France was styled as «the most ancient and most faithful of the Ottoman Empire's allies».
In June, 1806, when the Turkish ambassadors visited, many gifts were given to the imperial couple, as related in the Gazette de France, 10 June, 1806: «The presents offered by the Turkish ambassador are very beautiful. In the middle of a plumed headdress there is a large diamond, valued at about 50,000 ecus by Parisian jewellers. The box, decorated with a Turkish character made of diamonds, is a very unusual piece. The pearl necklace given to the Empress is remarkable for the regularity and beauty of the pearls: it is worth more than 80,000 Francs. The Porte has never, at any time, gven such valuable gifts.».
Wishing you an excellent, Napoleonic, week.
Peter Hicks
Historian and Web editor
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, No 376, 16-22 June, 2006
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THIS WEEK in the MAGAZINE
Television:
BBC: The century that made us
Conferences:
Workshop: Luigi Emanuele Corvetto (1756-1821), financier, lawyer and politician, Genoa–Imperia, Italy
Commemorations:
- Plancenoit 2006: 8th Napoleonic Bivouac, Plancenoit, Belgium
- Pultusk 2006, Pultusk, Poland
- Jena 1806-2006 - Rendezvous in Thuringia The "Journées de Thuringe 2006" and the bicentenary of the Battle of Jena/Auerstädt
Exhibitions:
- NAPOLÉON An Intimate Portrait, South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
- Napoleon on the Nile: Soldiers, Artists, and the Rediscovery of Egypt, New York, USA
- Géricault, a world of madness, Lyons, France
- Il tempo dell'Imperatore: gli orologi restaurati delle residenze di Napoleoni all'Elba
- "Battle in a sittingroom." The Austerlitz wallpaper, Museo Napoleonico, Rome, Italy
- Louis Napoleon: at the court of the first King of Holland, 1806-1810, Apeldoorn, Netherlands
Got a problem with the letter? Try the home page: http://www.napoleon.org
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