Scarce officially signed military order, Peninsular War dated and entirely written in the hand of Napoleon to his Minister of War, the Général Clarke with orders of leadership changes on the Grande Armée’s Italian front.
Napoleon is one of history's most iconic figures. As emperor of France, his actions shaped Europe in the early 19th century.
Following a successful coup d'etat in 1799, Napoleon went on to conquer much of Western and North Eastern Europe.
Napoleon was key in establishing a legal framework used across much of Europe, based on meritocracy, and his military strategy is still widely studied across the world.
When the Duke of Wellington was asked to name the greatest general of the day, he answered: "In this age, in past ages, in any age, Napoleon."
Penned on the morning of two vital victorious battles for the French in both Medellín, Spain (28th) and Porto, Portugal (29th), Napoleon orders general Daumas to the Army of Italy and notes his replacement at the head of the department of Ombrone.
Until then, the general Marie-Guillaume Daumas commanded the Ombrone. Ombrone was a department of the First French Empire named after the river Ombrone. It was formed in 1808, when the Kingdom of Etruria (formerly the Grand Duchy of Tuscany) was annexed directly to France.
7.25 x 9” (18.24 x 22.86 cm), in French, 28 March 1809, Paris. Reads in part: "....Le général Daumas qui est en Toscane se rendra à l’armée d’Italie pour y servir activement. Il sera remplacé dans le département de l’Ombrone par un officier général qui aurait été blessé dans la demiére guerre et qui serait fatigué..." Translation in part: "...General Daumas who is in Tuscany will surrender to the Army of Italy for active service. He will be replaced in the department of Ombrone by a general officer who was injured in the last war and who would be tired..." Receiver's notation to the left of Napoleon's signature reads "the 28 March by night", in the hand of the Minister of War's aide-de-camp documenting the date General Clarke received this letter. Napoleon's authentic autographs, under the Empire, became extremely rare, and the number of pieces entirely written by his hand since 1804, exceedingly scarce, apart from personal letters which he intended for Joséphine. Most letters from Napoleon on the market today were penned in the hand of an assistant.
The signature itself is among the best from this period that we have handled. Napoleon has signed with a flourish in black ink, with an unusually heavy underline. Napoleon’s autograph varied dramatically in size from day to day, depending on his mood. Given the breadth of this specimen, we can assume he was feeling supremely confident. If he felt any nerves about the upcoming battle, his autograph here shows no trace of it.
This precious manuscript was previously featured on display in the exhibition, "Feldherr, Kaiser und Genie" held in Austria at Schallaburg Castle from May 16 to November 1, 2009 highlighting the extraordinary life and deeds of Napoleon.
The letter has since been archivally preserved to museum specifications and the display is accompanied by Leipzig Galleries' credible Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity as well as third party certification by James Spence Authentication, the industry leader in 3rd-Party Authentication.
To own this investment quality display or to learn more about the Leipzig Galleries Historic Collection, contact our Harrods gallery directly at +44 20 7893 8484.
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