France - Lot 140

France Six "King of Rome" lead soldiers Polychrome painted lead, blue uniform with red trim, wearing a black shako with a painted number at the top. H: 35 mm Paint chips and slight dents Provenance : SUDUCA sale, Toulouse, November 3, 2022, lot no. 4 Related literature : -Article by Karine Huguenaud of the Fondation Napoléon, 2002 "The story of the King of Rome's lead soldiers is astonishing. It began in 1812, when Napoleon placed an order for two complete sets of 120 figures each, representing the regiments of the 21st and 22nd Legers, the first bearing the figure of Empress Marie-Louise, the second the figure of the Emperor. As this was the imperial couple's first birthday present to their son, the toy had to stand out from the other gifts offered by members of the imperial family and court. Goldsmith Jean-Baptiste ODIOT was commissioned to coat each of the 240 small lead figurines, each 35 mm high, with gold, depicting a soldier's bust wearing a shako and carried on a pedestal. Ranks are shown in black letters on the shakos, while the epaulettes of soldiers and non-commissioned officers are painted red, and those of officers yellow. It was after the fall of the Empire that the little lead soldiers of the King of Rome experienced the vicissitudes of history. To enable them to pass from France to Austria and be returned to L'Aiglon, while escaping Metternich's surveillance, the two sets were meticulously made up by a Nancy silversmith, André GRAPIN. The gold plating was entirely scraped off, all imperial markings were removed and the whole set was repainted in the three colors of Marie-Louise's guard of honor in Parma: black, blue and red, colors still visible on the figurines presented here. Under the Second Empire, the soldiers were returned to Napoleon III via the de Pierres family, related to the Metternichs. In September 1870, before fleeing the Tuileries, Empress Eugénie entrusted her first equerry, Baron de Pierres, with the complete set of the 22nd Léger. As for the soldiers of the 21st, to which the three figurines in the Fondation Napoléon belong, they were dispersed among several hands. "