Beschreibung:

Commentary of the Marengo Battle, won on twenty-five Prairial, year 8 by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul, commander in ... Full red morocco with long grain, smooth back ornamented with vats and florets alternated with large golden friezes, golden title, the sides lavishly adorned with 6 successive Greek friezes; ornamental lace, garlands, golden decorative rolls and small chains, Great Imperial crest at the center, golden decorative rolls on the cuts and squares, inner border with gilded garland, all-gilded edges, lining and blue tabis endpapers, ex libris in red sheepskin leather at the top corner, 2 sheets of endpapers at the beginning and the end of the book, (superb vintage period binding). Splendid copy with small defects (rubbed grooves and caps, slightly stamped back gilding, small wear on the corners, restoration marks.) Rare original edition with an in-plano format, limited edition, printed on Holland, beautifully illustrated with 8 plates engraved on copper by Charles Piquet, engraver and geographer. Intended for the Imperial propaganda, this piece was printed with a careful deluxe typography, including 2 maps and 4 very spectacular double page spread with color highlights, recounting the troop movements to Italy during Year 8. PRECIOUS BOOK WITH GREAT IMPERIAL CRESTS Superb red morocco binding that can be attributed for this period to Charles-Pierre Bizouard, Josephine de Beauharnais’s official bookbinder, who cared for the books from the Bibliothèque de la Malmaison, and Bozerian—well known for the delicacy and unique style of his decorative binding irons. Great Imperial crests, O.H.R. 2652, iron n°10. There are 3 printed editions of this book; the first one with a large in-plano format featuring a luxurious red binding, intended for the highest dignitaries of the Empire and for Napoleon’s relatives, and 2 other more common ones, with an in-quarto format bound in green morocco and one in a smaller in-8 format, offered to the generals and officials of the Imperial Régime. It is recognized that only about twenty pieces of this princeps edition were printed. Among the prestigious collections, we can identify the copy belonging to Marshal Suchet (Bibliothèque du Maréchal Berthier), the copy belonging to the Duc de Plaisance (quoted by Brunet) and the one belonging to Napoléon’s Minister of the Navy, Admiral Decrès (Collection Souham). It was published at the same time [as the edition in-4°], a large format edition in-folio with framing around the pages, which was apparently printed in only twenty-five copies. 110fr, red morocco, lace, the Duc de Plaisance [Charles-Francois Lebrun’s sale, Duc de Plaisance, Third Consul and Prince arch-treasurer of the First Empire]. EDITORIAL MONUMENT ORDERED BY BONAPARTE... GLORIFIED AND APPROVED UNDER THE EMPIRE After passing the Grand Saint-Bernard, the battle of Marengo which took place from the 12th to the 14th of June 1800 near Alexandrie marks the first milestone of the Napoleonian epic. Yet, no victory has been so close to a defeat, the in extremis intervention of General Desaix, having enabled to win the advantage and triumph over the Austrians. The course of the battle was very briefly, but admirably described in the official bulletin of the Moniteur, dated from the 22nd of June. However, Bonaparte took special care to glorify this campaign in order to legitimize and strengthen his military authority and his political action in a country still weakened by the Revolution. He entrusts to Berthier, his Chief of Staff and War Minister, the task of writing a Battle Commentary; the map layout was established under the direction of General Sanson, Director of the War Depository, and General de Castres, who pinpointed the military positions, whereas the accompanying text, supervised by Berthier, was written by Colonel Vallongue, Deputy Director of the Depsitory. This commissioned Commentary required several years of work and was modified many times until the day before the proc