Napoleon I, Emperor - Napoleon Bonaparte
Autograph letter signed
Estimate: £5,000 - £10,000
Auction: 18 June 2025 from 10:00 BST
Description
Addressed to his sister, Princess Pauline Borghese, dated “au Camp du Boulogne” 19th November [1803], one leaf 25 x 19cm, in which Napoleon encourages his younger sister to settle in to her marriage to his friend, Prince Camillo Borghese, offering advice and instructions: “Distinguish yourself by your gentleness, your kindness to everyone, and your extreme thoughtfulness to the ladies who are relatives and friends of your husband's household. Conform to the customs of the country, never despise anything” and “The only nation you must never receive in your home is the English as long as we are at war, and you must never even admit them into your intimate society”, previously folded, a little foxing and a couple of repairs to the reverse
Provenance
Hoepli, Zurich, 21st and 22nd May 1931, lot 20, shown as plate 1 in the auction catalogue “Autographes: Napoléon Ier, Voltaire, Rousseau, Calvin, Zwingli: miniatures: écoles Allemande, Bolonaise, Florentine, Siennoise…”
Footnote
Maria Pauline Bonaparte (1780-1825) was the younger sister of Napoleon. At the age of 17, she married the French General, Charles Leclerc, but was widowed in 1802. In 1803, aged 23, she married her second husband, Prince Camillo Borghese, on the behest of her brother. The marriage was unhappy, with both partners engaging in extra-marital affairs. The letter presented here, despite being somewhat condescending in tone, speaks of Napoleon Bonaparte's great affection for his younger sister, which has been called “fatherly”. In later correspondence, Napoleon was seen to reprimand Pauline for her “poor behavior” and quarrels with her husband, threatening to forbid her from returning to France if she did not make amends with him.