RARE CUILLÈRE À SOUPE EN ARGENT AUX ARMES DE “MADAME... Lot n° 208

Soup spoon of the fillet-violin model, in 1er silver (950 thousandths), the handle engraved with the large arms of Madame Mère (imperial coat of arms surmounting an M for "Madame" in an oval cartouche). Slight wear. Paris, 1798-1809. Title mark with 1st cockerel and guarantee mark with old man's head. Goldsmith: Gilbert Nicolas CASTEL (active 1798-1818), specialized in flatware and subcontractor for ODIOT. L. 20.5 cm. Weight: 76.1 g. Provenance - Dinner service of Maria-Letizia Bonaparte, mother of Emperor Napoleon I. - Private collection, Paris. History Maria-Letizia Bonaparte née Ramolino, called "Madame Mère" by Napoleon, was born in Corsica in 1750 and married Carlo Maria Bonaparte at the age of 14. During the troubles in Corsica, the Bonapartes ended up siding with the French and, following her husband's death, she moved to France in 1793. When her son Napoleon came to power, she was given the title of "Her Imperial Highness, Madame, Mother of the Emperor". Living in the Hôtel de Brienne, Madame Mère accumulated immense wealth, much to Napoleon's displeasure. When he fell in 1814, she also moved to Elba, and is said to have financed his stay there. But following his abdication after Waterloo, Letizia moved to Rome, where she remained until her death in 1836. The Maison Odiot archives indicate that a service was delivered to her on November 11, 1806. Related works - A silver flatware with Madame Mère's coat of arms, whose soup spoon is identical to ours (silversmith illegible), from the Bacciochi family, Osenat sale, November 15, 2014, lot 168 (sold for €13,000). - A vermeil plate by Odiot with the arms of Madame Mère, Osenat sale, November 20, 2016, lot 393 (sold for €3,500). - A pair of vermeil-covered cream pots by Odiot with the arms of Madame Mère, Christie's London sale, May 31, 2012, lot 393 (sold for €37,250). - A pair of cloche dishes with the arms of Madame Mère, Fondation Napoléon collection. - A pair of vermeil plates with the arms of Madame Mère are in the Bruno Ledoux collection. - Several pieces of the service were also in the Al Tajir collection.