ÉCOLE FRANÇAISE DU XIXe SIÈCLE - Lot 163

Lot 163
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Estimation :
300 - 500 EUR
ÉCOLE FRANÇAISE DU XIXe SIÈCLE - Lot 163
ÉCOLE FRANÇAISE DU XIXe SIÈCLE Portrait of the young Prince Henri, Duke of Bordeaux (1820-1883). Watercolor on paper, preserved under glass in an antique gilded wood oval frame. Good condition. Sight: H.: 8.5 cm - W.: 7 cm. Frame: H.: 22.5 cm - W.: 18 cm. COLLECTION OF PRINCESS CLEMENTINE OF SAXONY-COBURG-GOTHA, NÉE PRINCESSE D'ORLÉANS, DAUGHTER OF KING LOUIS-PHILIPPE AND COLLECTION OF HIS SON KING FERDINAND I OF BULGARIA PRESERVED AND COLLECTED OVER MANY YEARS BY MMETHERESA DANKOVA, AN ENTHUSIAST FOR THE HISTORY OF HER COUNTRY AND THE ROYAL FAMILY OF BULGARIA, WITH A MASTER'S DEGREE IN ANCIENT GREEK, LATIN AND HISTORY, AND VARIOUS OTHER SUBJECTS (*). Born at the Château de Neuilly on June 3, 1817, Princess Clémentine, known as Mademoiselle de Beaujolais, was the youngest daughter of Louis-Philippe (1773-1850), first Duke of Orleans, then King of the French on August 9, 1830, and Princess Marie-Amélie de Bourbon des Deux-Siciles (1782-1866). She was barely 13 when her father ascended the throne. Brought up, like her elder sisters, with distinction and intelligence under the watchful eye of her parents, who ensured that she received a literary, religious and artistic education like all their children, Princess Clémentine followed the destiny that circumstances lay down for the daughters of kings. On April 20, 1843, at the Château de Saint-Cloud, she married Prince Auguste (1818-1881), Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Major General in the service of the Kingdom of Saxony. Nephew of Ernest, then reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, of Victoire, Duchess of Kent, mother of Queen Victoria of England, this prince was the brother of Ferdinand, King of Portugal, through his marriage to Queen Maria da Gloria II, of Princess Victoire, Duchess of Nemours, and of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, husband of the Queen of England. Through this alliance, Princess Clementine became closely related to most of Europe's sovereigns. From that moment on, her life was spent far from her homeland, but her heart always remained French. From her marriage to Prince Auguste, Princess Clémentine had five children: ?Philippe (1844-1921), Duke of Saxony, lieutenant in the 6th Austrian cuirassiers regiment, who married the eldest daughter of King Leopold I of Belgium, Princess Louise (1858-1924); Auguste (1845-1907), Duke of Saxony, captain in the Austrian navy, who married Princess Leopoldine (1847-1871), second daughter of the Emperor of Brazil, Pedro II, on October 15, 1864; Clotilde (1846-1927), Duchess of Saxony, married in Coburg on May 12, 1864 to the Palatine of Hungary, Archduke Joseph of Austria (1833-1905), grandson of Emperor Leopold II of Austria, major-general and owner of infantry regiment no. 37; Amélie (1848-1894), Duchess of Saxony, married the younger brother of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi), Duke Maximilian of Bavaria (1849-1893); and Ferdinand (1861-1948), Duke of Saxony, married Princess Marie-Louise of Bourbon-Parme (1870-1899) in 1893, and Princess Eleonore of Reuss (1860-1917) in his second marriage. He became Sovereign Prince of Bulgaria in 1887, then King of the Bulgarians in 1908. This correspondence and part of his diary are precious and priceless testimonies to an exciting period, when politics, historical events and family happenings united Europe's most important royal families. In contrast to the times, Princess Clementine was a caring mother who personally oversaw the education of her children and grandchildren. The princess's artistic side is also highlighted by a series of works inspired by great moments in European history and the poems of Walter Scott, created under the guidance of her drawing teacher, the celebrated Ary Scheffer (1795-1858), one of the most important painters of the Romantic school. In this way, we discover the daily life of a French princess traveling across Europe to visit her large family in England, Belgium, Austria, Bavaria, Germany, Brazil, Hungary, Bulgaria and France. This family saga reveals the daily life and intrigues of a brilliant, intelligent and cultured woman whose lifelong ambition was to see her children and grandchildren marry into the best parties of the gotha, in the hope that they would, in honor of her ancestors, accede to the throne of a powerful European kingdom. Her wishes were eventually granted, in the person of her youngest son, Ferdinand, who became the first Bulgarian king in 1908. Unfortunately, she did not get the chance to see him crowned, as she died a year before he acceded to the Bulgarian throne. By marriage, Princess Clementine was related to
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