THE IMPERATOR JOSEPHINE. Precious little pocket almanac in green morocco,...

THE IMPERATOR JOSEPHINE. Precious little pocket almanac in green morocco, decorated in the four corners and on the first plate with chiselled vermeil motifs. On the second plate, the "J" under the imperial crown of Empress Josephine. Sheathed in ivory silk with two gusseted pockets and branded by the manufacturer "Granchez Au Petit Dunkerque 92 rue de Richelieu in Paris". It contains : -a notebook of 23 leaves with gilt edges, covered with silk en suite, with annotations in pencil by Eugène de Beauharnais on his accounts, his trip to Munich on Sunday, June 26, 1815. One sheet annotated by Eugene at the time of his mother's death "May 29, 1814, a day of pain for my sister and for me". -An annotated card in Prince Eugene's hand translating French phrases into German "bonjour Mr. gut morgen, mein herr. comment vous portez vous. wie befinden sie sich. Very well, thank you. sehrwohl ich danke ihren. "Gold pencil held by two passersby. Small warranty stamp (1809-1819) In a pocket with a 1816 leap year calendar. Gross weight: 59.3g. A.B.E. (Wear and tear) First Empire period. Provenance: Baron Antoine DARNAY Antoine Darnay (1764-1837) was Secretary General of the Post Office in France under the Consulate and in the Kingdom of Italy from 1805 to 1814. Friend of Prince Eugène de Beauharnais, he accompanied him throughout his career and his exile, and looked after his estate with his widow. History: This notebook is a double testimony, since it is an object used by Empress Josephine but also by her son during a particularly difficult period, that of the fall of the Empire, and his exile to his in-laws, the Bavarian royal family. The annotations in his hand show this path, both physically and intellectually as the Prince learns German. Biography: Granchez, a native of Dunkirk, jeweller to Queen Marie-Antoinette. In this shop were sold art objects and curiosities from all over the world. The first sign of this shop was a painting that represented the port of Dunkirk with the arrival of the ships, which brought from India and China most of the curiosities that were passionately sought after. Granchez sold his first shop around 1789 and moved to rue de Richelieu. Automatically translated by DeepL. To see the original version, click here.