“My birth and my death—that’s the whole of my story,” said Napoleon’s only legitimate child, shortly before dying of tuberculosis on July 22, 1832. He was just twenty-one years old.
“My birth and my death—that’s the whole of my story,” said Napoleon’s only legitimate child, shortly before dying of tuberculosis on July 22, 1832. He was just twenty-one years old.
I have a couple of old miniatures that are painted on ivory. They are signed Isabey, which research has shown me to have been a Napoleonic court painter. I am trying to determine if they are genuine or fake. The oval portrait on your page (of Napoleon II in his white uniform with red collar) is a very near facsimile of my miniature, so I was hoping you could share with me the information about who painted it. Although my miniatures have a signature of Isabey, I am a little reticent to believe they are genuine. The one is definitely Napoleon II, but the other is a woman who looks a little like him in coloration, but I have been unable to identify her.
Any help would be appreciated!
Hello, Patricia. My Napoleon II portrait was painted on wood by a woman named Maria Schöffman who lived from 1859 – 1941, long after Napoleon’s son’s tragic life had ended. I assume it’s a copy of a contemporary portrait, because that’s what she primarily did. If Isabey did yours, he had to have become a court painter in Austria, because Napoleon fell from power when the boy was about 3 years old. After that, the child was called the Duke of Reichstadt and lived at the Austria court. I really have no idea how to value your miniature, other than to take it to an expert. If it’s really an Isabey, it should be worth quite a lot. Good luck with it!