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out of the stables at Louis' palace in Paris, and the price to be got for two of the horses, the Governor of Paris has withdrawn the guard, which makes the garden vulnerable, but Vincent sees no reason to engage extra footmen, most letters are about furnishing Huis ten Bosch ('Palais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

Holland was occupied by the French from 1795 to 1813, initially with the support of the Dutch republicans. In 1806 Napoleon made his brother Louis, who was married to Napoleon's step-daughter Hortense, King of Holland as Lodewijk I.
Louis and Hortense arrived at Huis ten Bosch on 18th June 1806 and formally entered The Hague on the 23rd, Louis dismissing his French Guard for the occasion. At first the officers of his household were French, later replaced by Dutch: his government ministers were always Dutch. In fact Louis favoured the Dutch, the Queen the French. Louis introduced the Code Napoleon, but in the Emperor's eyes he was too lenient, for example over enforcing the blockade against England, and in 1810 Holland became part of the French Empire again.

Item Date:  1806

Stock No:  52080      £575

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