MARIE-LOUISE (1791-1847)

Lot 177
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Estimation :
8000 - 10000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 5 272EUR
MARIE-LOUISE (1791-1847)
16 L.A.S. "Marie-Louise", 3 L.A. or P.A., 4 L.S. and 2 dictated letters, [1810]-1815, to the countess of LUÇAY; 32 pages in-8 or in-4, envelopes and addresses with red wax stamps with her coat of arms, all mounted on old bluish laid paper in a small vol. in-fol., bound in red morocco, spine ribbed and decorated with triple filleted boxes, framed with gilt fillets on the boards, interior framed in red morocco with gilt fillets and spandrels, lining and endpapers in red moiré silk, gilt edges (Gruel). Very beautiful correspondence to his lady-in-waiting, accompanied by fabric samples. [Jeanne-Charlotte Papillon d'Auteroche, countess of LUÇAY (1769- 1842), former lady of the palace of Josephine, had played a role at the coronation and was lady-in-waiting to receive Catherine of Wurtemberg during her marriage with Jerome Bonaparte, king of Westphalia (1807). Attached to Marie-Louise as "lady-in-waiting of Her Majesty the Empress and Queen", she was part of the delegation that went to the Austro-Bavarian border to receive the Archduchess and accompany her to Compiègne (1810). She attended Marie-Louise's civil and religious weddings, was at her service during the birth of the King of Rome (1811), and accompanied her to Blois in the last days of the Empire, only retiring from her service when the Empress returned to Austria in April 1814. This correspondence goes far beyond considerations of rags and fashions, and provides information on the Empress's budget, her suppliers, travels and family affections, her love for her son the King of Rome, and her great desire to please the Emperor]. [April ? 1810]. "I have never yet been scolded by the Emperor, and I will try never to be scolded in my life, as it would be very unpleasant to make debts and I could attract his displeasure [...]. The Emperor wants me to use 10,000 francs of the 50,000 francs he gives me each month for alms, to keep 5,000 francs for gifts or unforeseen needs, and 10,000 francs to replace the basket. He wants me to spend only 25,000 francs on toiletries and no more, [...] I prefer to wear the same dress for 14 days than to have one more made"... She will only accept dresses to her taste, and it will be necessary to distribute the orders between M. LeRoi and other merchants, "to make gain money with several, more especially as it finds that the merchant above named makes pay all the things the double of what they are worth"... She asks for the Elegies and various Poems of Victoire Babois. Rambouillet May 20, 1811. Sending of a box containing a seal for her brother Ferdinand and corals for her sister Caroline, with a "List of objects to be sent to Vienna": pastels for her sister the Archduchess Leopoldine, clothes for the Empress, music scores for the Archduke Rudolph, etc. This 4th [September]. She forgot to buy a present for "little Princess Napoleon's birthday [...] and I don't know if we will find anything today to buy toys"... Compiègne September 7. Various commissions, including the lengthening of her emerald necklace, during "the tour that I may make in Holland [...]. We are all doing wonderfully, I think we will stay a few more days in Compiegne where the weather is very warm and beautiful"... - List of sums to be distributed to the persons at his service (chambermaid, chauffeur, kitchen maids, drawing master, etc.). Compiègne 26 September. She approves the hunting clothes and dresses to be sent to her in Brussels. "The bracelet is charming, and so resembling that I cannot refuse myself the pleasure of having a similar one made immediately with the name of my son, it would be necessary to put small gold chains in the space where there is hair, [...] I would be very happy, and very glorious to be able to show the portrait in Brussels "... Please send her the plants that M. THOUIN is willing to provide her with, and shrubs that Prince SCHWARZENBERG will transport to Vienna... Antwerp October 2. Not at all tired by 22 hours in the car, from Compiègne to Brussels, she has been constantly occupied since then by parties and receptions, and has spent 10 days at Laeken. "I joined the Emperor the day before yesterday in Antwerp, you can easily imagine the pleasure I felt, he is in excellent health. I spent yesterday and today seeing the construction sites, dikes, bridges and basins that the Emperor had built"... Leaving for Breda, she asks to be sent dresses and samples to Amsterdam... Château du Loo October 29. "I am very grateful for the news you give me about my son, I was very happy to hear that he has passed so well the moment of teething, which is always a terrible crisis for children"... She has sent him pearls by courier from Amsterdam, and a box from Utrecht. Following are some instructions
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