THE EMPIRE STYLE FIRST COMES TO THE NETHERLANDS
[LOUIS
(Bonaparte, 1778-1846, brother of Napoleon I and father of Napoleon III, King of Holland 1806-1810)]
Series of 10 AL, in French, signed 'Vincent',
Keeper of Louis' 'Cassette' (Privy Purse) in Paris, to 'Monsieur', (Louis' Master of the Household in Holland, Monsieur de Sénégra), the letters start with the letting out of the stables at Louis' palace in Paris, and the price to be got for two of the horses, the Governor of Paris has withdrawn the guard, which makes the garden vulnerable, but Vincent sees no reason to engage extra footmen, most letters are about furnishing Huis ten Bosch ('Palais Royal du Bois') on the edge of The Hague, giving many names of those supplying fabrics and furniture and interesting details of their shipment via Antwerp, Boulard "knows the Queen's taste" and has found a yellow fabric for her rooms at a much lower price, his foreman ('premier garçon') will go by land with one consignment and hang the curtains, many letters have requests for authority to pay named contractors, some of whom press Vincent almost daily, others reveal his tight control over accounting periods, he discusses a young man who is asking 48 florins' salary "owing to the high cost of living" in Holland, against an offer of 40, Vincent sees Boulard daily to check progress for the dispatch date of 26th November, while Duval, who has made the mirrors and already set them up, will see everything in at Antwerp, Vincent also mentions that Louis' sister Princess Pauline intends to stay for a few days at St. Leu, Louis' château north of Paris, together 23 sides folio, Paris, 9th July - 22nd November
Item Date:
1806
Stock No:
52080
£575
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[LOUIS
(Bonaparte, 1778-1846, brother of Napoleon I and father of Napoleon III, King of Holland 1806-1810)]
Autograph Letter Signed, in French, from architect Thibault,
about his plans for redesigning the interior of Huis ten Bosch on the edge of The Hague (since 1981 the main residence of the Netherlands royal family), addressed to M. de Sénégra, Master of the Household, the wing facing the Hague is to be for the King's private apartments, ending in the 'Pavillon' for his offices, the other on the garden side for the Queen, ending in the apartment of the Prince Royal (Napoleon, 1804-1832), he has rearranged where the footmen wait so that the King can go the whole way round without meeting them, there are resulting suggestions resiting the Library, Music Room, and Chapel, Heer Twent (later Interior Minister and responsible for Holland's dykes) and Heer Zogger are designing the parade ground, it cannot be on the meadow side which is flooded and frozen in winter, he reports progress at Het Loo, the palace at Apeldoorn in Gelderland, wondering if he should paint it white while the King is away "to let the odour evaporate", he talks most interestingly of the difficulties of creating a garden entrance at Huis ten Bosch, the staircase would invade the King's study and sacrifice "the best rooms in the Palace", accompanying the letter is an apparently unrelated item with a pencil note 'Album Thibaud p. 50', listing eight Etruscan Vases found in two chests "dug up from the Canals in 1831", and describing the painted figures of athletes, centaurs etc and their colours, signed "F.B. (?)", 1 side 3" x 5¼", the letter 3 sides folio, The Hague, 12th June
Item Date:
1807
Stock No:
52081
£275
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[LOUIS
(Grand Duke of Hesse, 1837-1892, Son-in-Law of Queen Victoria, father of Tsarina ALEXANDRA of Russia)]
Fine unsigned carte de visite photo by Hills & Saunders
showing him head and shoulders wearing his uniform with medals and a plumed helmet, 4¼" x 2½", no place, no date
Item Date:
0
Stock No:
41645
£175
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[LOUIS
(Bonaparte, 1778-1846, brother of Napoleon I and father of Napoleon III, King of Holland 1806-1810)]
Autograph Letter Signed, in French, signed 'Charpentier', addressed to M. de Sénégra,
Master of the Household at Huis ten Bosch, reporting the work done at Het Loo, near Apeldoorn in Gelderland, and saying that the apartments of Their Majesties, the Prince Royal, and all the Suite are finished, arranging the furniture will take a couple of days, he has studiously avoided supplying things for which the Steward asks him every day "without your authorization", and is due to go on to "the furnishing of Utrech[t]", probably nearby Soestdijk, 2 sides folio, Het Loo, 1st October
Item Date:
1807
Stock No:
52082
£150
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LOUIS
(Grand Duke of Hesse, 1837-1892, Son-in-Law of Queen Victoria, father of Tsarina ALEXANDRA of Russia)
Autograph Letter Signed 'Louis Grand Duke of Hesse' to 'My dear Admiral'
asking him to "thank Mr. Bullock ... for the book he sent me through you" which he has read and saying he is "much pleased ... with the spirit in which it is written", & glad "that the Alice memorial fund is making good progress", the Admiral being "one of the first originators of the scheme in which I take great interest", 3 sides 8vo., on mourning paper with crowned monogram LA at the head, Darmstadt, 8th April
very slight damage at corners
Item Date:
1879
Stock No:
9532
£250
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