Live Auction 1162Centuries of Style, Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes
GEORGE ENGLEHEART (BRITISH, 1750/53-1829)
Lot 142 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

GEORGE ENGLEHEART (BRITISH, 1750/53-1829)

Closed27 November 2013

Price Realised

GBP 22,500

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GEORGE ENGLEHEART (BRITISH, 1750/53-1829)
Napoleon I (1769-1821), Emperor of France 1804-1814/1815, as First Consul 1799-1804, in profile to the right, in blue coat with high red collar embroidered with gold oak leaves, black stock
inscribed in ink on the backing card 'Napoleon. / First Consul.'
on ivory
oval, 2.9/16 in. (65 mm.) high, gilt-metal mount
Two paper labels on reverse; the first handwritten in ink, 'Napoleon / First Consul / by / GE', the second a part printed, part-handwritten exhibition label, 'ENGLEHEART EXN. / No 286 Lent by / Lt-Col E. L. Engleheart'.

Presumably by direct family descent from the artist.
Sir John Gardner Dillman Engleheart, K.C.B. (1823-1923), of 28 Curzon Street, Mayfair, London, a grand-nephew of the artist, by 1902-1904.
By descent to his son, Lt.-Col. Evelyn L. Engleheart, by 1929.

Specialist note

An entry in George Engleheart's fee book for 3 January 1801 reads 'Bonaparti finisht' and, according to G. C. Williamson, supra, the family record that the entry refers to a commission, 'but that a replica was done by the artist for himself and retained by him'. The entry in the fee book does not bear the tick which denoted that the portrait was paid for, neither does it bear the cross to denote that it was painted for the artist himself. It is therefore possible that two versions exist and the present example is the one retained by the artist and then passed through the Engleheart family.