Shakespeare, William. An appeal to Italy with twelve lines in his hand - photo 1
Shakespeare, William. An appeal to Italy with twelve lines in his hand - photo 2
Shakespeare, William. An appeal to Italy with twelve lines in his hand - photo 1

An appeal to Italy with twelve lines in his hand

Lot 162
15.10.2021 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
$ 7 500
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 627651
Lot 162 | An appeal to Italy with twelve lines in his hand
Estimate value
$ 3 000 – 5 000
NAPOLEON I (1769-1821). Manuscript signed ("Bonaparte") with twelve lines of text in his hand, Milan, 20 Frimaire An 5 [10 December 1796].

In French. Two pages, 371 x 226mm on his personal letterhead (some minor edge wear most notably at top margin, a few small tears at margins).

Napoleon appeals to the Italian State Congress for moderation: "You can, you must be free without a revolution, without running the risks and meeting all the misfortunes which the French people have encountered." An appeal for order in the months following the conquest of Lombardy which made Italy a satellite state of France. Napoleon had to strike a balance between French revolutionary ideals taking hold and preserving the order which those same ideals threatened, preaching moderation and urging Italians to "suppress above all the small number of people who only want liberty as a means of reaching revolution: they are its greatest enemies, they will put on any kind of face to achieve their criminal designs. The French Army will never permit liberty in Italy to be covered with crimes." Following his appeal not to repeat the French model, he urged Italians to "protect property and persons, inspire your compatriots with the love of order and laws, and of warlike virtue, which will defend and protect the republics and liberty. The scene that a number of hotheads and bad subjects took the liberty of having ... has spread fears and inspired a terror that you must take pains to dissipate. Suppress the malevolent ones, but don't tolerate that a small number of persons misguide the people and commit crimes in their name." Napoleon's control of Italy would be continually threatened by this conflict between progressives and the Ancien Régime, and by 1802 the government of the Italian Republic had come more "to resemble enlightened monarchy of the eighteenth century than the constitutional-representative systems propounded, if not always applied, by the French Revolutionary governments." (Connelly, Napoleon's Satellite Kingdoms).
Artist:William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Applied technique:Pencil
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
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