Circa 1810-1820
France
Court Habit and breeches belonging to the Marquis d'Aligre, made of embroidered velvet dating from the french Premier Empire or the first french Restauration. Habit or Frockcoat with a straight collar and breeches in black and purple miniature patterned velvet, embroidered with the utmost magnificence. Polychrome silk embroidery in satin stitch and knot stitch, with sequins, glitter, silver and blue glass beads and shuttles, stylised bouquets of flowers and foliage on the front, pockets, basques and collar. Hook-and-eye closure under the collar, complete with twenty-four embroidered buttons in matching fabric. Matching breeches with gusset pockets and embroidered garters. Satin lining for the coat with padding at the shoulders and back. It is not certain that a matching velvet waistcoat existed with this coat, but rather a matching waistcoat in another colour.
Condition: very good to excellent. Freshness and strength of materials unaltered. The velvet is stable with a few crease marks. The satin lining is in good condition except for tears and missing pieces under the armpits. A few sequins are missing. The breeches are in good condition, complete with buttons, slight soiling in the unbleached linen lining. Complete photo file available on request.
Dimensions: Large size for the period. Habit: height 122 cm, shoulders 38 cm, collar height 8 cm, chest 111 cm, waist 108 cm, sleeves 75 cm. Breeches: height 80 cm, waist 95 cm, hip circumference 118 cm.
Provenance: Etienne d'Aligre (1770-1847), 6th Marquis d'Aligre, Chamberlain to Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples (1808 to 1815), from 1803. Tessier-Sarrou sale, Paris, 25 March 2016. Millon auction, Paris, 24 November 2023.
The Marquis d'Aligre, son of a former first president of the Parliament of Paris, was one of the wealthiest peers in France during the Restoration. In his memoirs, the Baron de Frénilly describes him as a ‘poor man weighed down by millions’. He owned numerous houses in Paris, on Rue d'Anjou, Rue d'Astorg, Rue Roquépine, Rue de Rivoli, Rue Saint-Honoré and Rue de Clichy, as well as half a dozen châteaux, including Baronville (Eure). During the Empire, he was one of the largest taxpayers in Paris. Under the July Monarchy, his annual income was estimated at two million francs, and when he died in 1847, he left an estate worth over forty-six million. Extract from Raphaël Maraval-Hutin's notice in the Millon catalogue of 24 November 2023.
Between 1804 and 1814, the reign of Emperor Napoleon I favoured the work of national manufacturers, symbolised by the Continental Blockade. The use of silk, wool and velvet, like Indian muslin, became the protectionist codes of the French Empire in clothing. As exemplified by this exceptional ensemble in patterned velvet, French embroidery excelled in the representative trappings of the Empire. The designs of Augustin André Picot (1756-1822), embroiderer of Napoleon I's coronation garments, and Jean-François Bony (1754-1825) set the tone for a greater floral exuberance compared to that of the Ancien Régime.