Once every year, the auction bell rings at Dorotheum for Imperial court memorabilia. Items from the personal property of Napoleon I, Maximilian of Mexico, Charlotte of Mexiko, Elisabeth of Austria and Francis Joseph I of Austria are due to be auctioned on 18 June 2019.

Unfortunate Emperor
Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, the younger brother of Emperor Francis Joseph I, and his young wife, the Belgian Princess Charlotte, left for Mexico full of expectations, however, Maximilian’s four years as Emperor of Mexico did not end well: Benito Juárez prevailed in the struggle for power and Maximilian was executed by martial law, with his wife Charlotte then descending into madness.
Maximilian’s Order of the Golden Fleece set with brilliants, gold and diamonds (€50,000 – 70,000) and Charlotte’s Order of the Starry Cross with brilliants (€ 60,000 – 90,000) will be offered at auction. The extraordinary decorations are from the property of Crown Prince Rudolf. The sale also includes a ring with Maximilian’s imperial monogram (estimate €4,000 – 8,000) and his personal cigarette holder (€2,000 – 4,000).

King only at birth
The auction also features an exquisite porcelain covered bowl that was once part of a service that Emperor Napoleon I commissioned from the Sèvres Manufactory. The occasion was the birth of his long-awaited son and heir, whom he made King of Rome on 20 March 1811. The elaborate miniatures decorating the bowl depict the Greek goddess Minerva presenting the child to the Roman river god Tiber, and Emperor Napoleon I portrayed as Hercules (estimate €40,000 - 60,000). Napoleon II remained “King of Rome” only until the age of four, when his father was forced to abdicate as Emperor of the French. The son of Napoleon I and Marie Louise, Emperor Francis I’s daughter, died at the age of 21.

Coveted and popular: Empress Sisi
Memorabilia from the property of Austrian Empress Elisabeth are especially sought-after at auctions of imperial court items: this time they include a personal tea set belonging to the empress, manufactured by the purveyor to the imperial and royal court Mayerhofer and Klinkosch (estimate €10,000 – 20,000). Further objects from the property of Empress “Sisi” comprise a brooch with diamonds and emeralds, which she gave her granddaughter Archduchess Elisabeth (€ 4,500 – 8,000), a pair of deerskin gloves (€3,000 – 5,000) and a handkerchief (€400 – 600).

Sleep like an Emperor
A pillowcase from the property of “Sisi’s” husband, Emperor Francis Joseph I, featuring a white embroidered emperor’s monogram “FJ” with imperial crown and the year 1896, will also be up for sale. For an estimated 400 to 600 euros it promises imperial dreams. A pair of gold cufflinks with the emperor’s initials “FJI“ are also part of the offer (€3,000 – 4,000).

IMPERIAL COURT MEMORABILIA AND HISTORICAL OBJECTS

Auction Date Tuesday, 18 June 2019, 2 pm
Viewing starts 13 June 2019
Venue Palais Dorotheum, Vienna 1, Dorotheergasse 17
Specialist Dr. Georg Ludwigstorff, Tel. +43-1-515 60-511, georg.ludwigstorff@dorotheum.at