Pierre Ch. Cior "Henri Martel, Napoleon's brother-officer" miniature, 1790s (m)

Description: PLEASE READ SHIPPING DESCRIPTION CAREFULLY BEFORE BUYING! To learn more about us please click on our profile ON DEMAND WE ISSUE A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY (money-back-guarantee) The remainder of the old, authentic legend on verso of this miniature informs us that we are dealing here with portrait of a certain Henri Martel, who was (at a much later date, already in his retirement) in possession of a Chevalier Cross (in "our" portrait, he is depicted before receiving this award) of the Royal Military Order of St. Louis (he could have received this order already at the old age, in period of Restoration). His uniform, epaulettes, as well as the depicted (in painting's left area) fortification with artillery battery in action, all form a clear idea of his corps type and rank: he is a captain of the Royal Artillery. The fact that this miniature was acquired in Nice (Cote d'Azur, France; see our image nr.9) allows us to once and for all believe that this Henry Martel is the same "citoyen Martel", who on the 19th of June 1794, while already in the (next) rank of "capitaine-commandant" (major) of the 4e regiment d'artillerie á pied (4th Regiment of Foot Artillery) of Revolutionary Army, was appointed by General Bonaparte, Commander of Artillery of the Army of Italy (on this date general was in Nice - sic!), "conducteur principal d'artillerie" (supervisor of the train of artillery - see our image nr.11). Napoleon Bonaparte was acquainted with this officer and, clearly aware of his skills, assisted in the latter's climb up the career ladder.The truth is that the 4th Regiment of Foot Artillery was the very same unit, to which Napoleon (he was just promoted to lieutenant of artillery) was appointed on the 1st of June 1791 (at this time, the regiment was stationed at Valence, département Drôme (sic! - birthplace of Henry Martel (see below) in region Rhöne-Alpes). After two years of absence (he was on leave in Corsica), Napoleon Bonaparte returned (already in captain's rank) to the 4th Regiment, which was already stationed in Nice (sic!). In one and a half years Bonaparte became a brigade general, but - as we will see below - did not forget his brother-officers. Later, Henry Martel (as well as his former 4th Artillery Regiment) participated in the Egyptian Campaign (1798-1801), where he was raised to "conducteur-general d'artillerie de l'armée d'Egypte" (commander of train; see our image nr.11). He passed away in his native Romans, département Drôme in region Rhöne-Alpes, where he lived after retiring from the army. We are more than certain that this portrait was made in the early 1790s, when the sitter's 4th Regiment was stationed in Nice, and was intended as a present for a local lady (fiancé?). Although unsigned, this 1st-class quality miniature is (we are 100% convinced) an absolutely typical (see other works of this artist in our possession), early work of the well-known, Parisian miniaturist Pierre Charles Cior. The latter was an itinerant artist and (we are sure) stayed in Nice at the same time that Captain Martel was stationed there. Pierre Charles Cior (1769 Paris - ca. 1840 Paris) was a pupil of Bazil. At the Salon of 1796 he exhibited a frame containing several miniatures, and, in 1799, two other miniatures. It was thirty two years later in 1831 that Cior again participated at the Salon, making his final reappearance in 1838. The artist travelled a lot throughout his career. The details of his itineraries are unknown, yet it is known that he was appointed a Painter in Miniature to the King of Spain, and that he also worked quite a lot at the Russian Court, where, among others, he did the portraits of the Emperor Paul I of Russia and his wife, of Prince Kourakin and Princess Poniatowska. He also painted Prince Eszterhazy, the Queen of Holland, the Duke of Luxemburg, Louis XVIII and numerous other personalities. Condition: good Creation Year: early 1790s Measurements: UNFRAMED: 5,4x4,5cm/2,1x1,8in FRAMED: 11,2x9,8cm/4,4x3,9inObject Type: Framed miniature Style: Portrait miniatures Technique: watercolor on organic wafer Inscription: verso: remainder of a legendCreator: Pierre Charles Cior Creator Dates: 1769 Paris - ca. 1840 Paris Nationality: French Themes: FRENCHFRENCH REVOLUTIONNAPOLEONEMPIREARTILLERYFORTRESSMILITARYMILITARY PORTRAITUNIFORMMALE PORTRAITCANON SHIPPING OPTIONS:We ship priority registered regular Austrian mail within 48 hours after your purchase. Usually, shipping with regular Austrian mail takes 10-14 days (USA / Worldwide), 3-7days (Europe) and 1-2 days (Austria). Not depending on us (due to local customs, local post, etc) delivery may take longer. ***OBS: Austrian mail refunds cases of loss with maximum EUR 500. The shipping cost here is for an external full insurance of the item!PLEASE NOTE: We are NOT professional packers! We do our best but we do NOT bear responsibility in cases of damage if shipping with Austrian mail. PROFESSIONALLY PACKED (by Mail Boxes Etc.) and fully insured (INCLUDES INSURANCE OF FRAME) expedited service is available upon request and subject to EXTRA CHARGES. When contacting the seller please refer to item #39235 mifeb24

Price: 6918.75 USD

Location: Wien

End Time: 2025-01-09T19:34:21.000Z

Shipping Cost: 255 USD