The bezel of this rare historic ring bears a portrait painted on bone of Napoleon, wearing the uniform of the Chasseurs de Cheval with the sash of the Legion of Honor, contained in a small oval capsule with a convex crystal lid that opens. Movable rivets attach the delicate round hoop to the swivel bezel. That “hero bold” as he was celebrated in song at the time, Napoléon Bonaparte (1769–1821) was Emperor of the French between 1804 and 1814 and again briefly from March to June in 1815 during the Hundred Days. The Napoleonic Wars and the expansion of the French, Empire encompassing many parts of Europe defined history until Napoléon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815. Patrons of the arts, he and his consort, Josephine, brought back splendor to the imperial regime introducing a distinctive court style inspired by the great emperors of the past. This miniature is based on a type created by the principal portrait painter Jean-Baptiste Isabey (1767–1855) (see Voor Eer & Glorie 2010, pp. 178-9 and 32, 121). It resonates history of the cult of Napoleon. The ring was probably a gift offered to a supporter of the emperor around 1815. But, during the Hundred Days, Napoleon was also surrounded by fierce opponents – hence the swivel bezel.

R-895