RARE CALET OF CARDINAL FESCH, UNCLE OF NAPOLEON I - Lot 184

RARE CALET OF CARDINAL FESCH, UNCLE OF NAPOLEON I Purple silk velvet skullcap, decorated with vine blossom embroidery in silver thread and glass beads, gold piping forming a lace border, lined with crimson silk satin. Worn lining and oxidation of silver threads. Accompanied by a handwritten note on paper: "Calotte d'Archevêque donné par le Cardinal Fesch à son Maître de choeur de la primatiale Saint Jean Baptiste en remerciement de son dévouement". Preserved in a Napoleon III-period slipcase, rectangular in shape, slightly curved, quadripod, the wooden core stretched with crimson velvet on the outside and embellished with garlands of flowers and plant scrolls in antique silvered bronze, the interior stretched with ivory-colored silk satin. Worn velvet. French work, probably from a Lyon silk workshop, First Empire period. D. 19 cm (cap). H. 10.5 x W. 33.5 x D. 21.5 cm (case). Provenance : - Joseph FESCH (1763-1839), archbishop of Lyon and cardinal, uncle of Emperor Napoleon I. - Then offered by Cardinal Fesch, archbishop of Lyon, to the choirmaster of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste primatial church (Lyon cathedral) between 1802 and 1839. - Aloyse Ruest Collection (1874-1914). - Then by descent. History : Joseph Fesch (1763-1839), uterine brother of Letizia Ramolino (1750-1836) and uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte, was appointed Archbishop of Lyon and Primate of the Gauls on July 22, 1802, and remained in this position until his death in 1839. Appointed French ambassador to Rome, he negotiated the arrival of Pope Pius VII for Napoleon's coronation in 1804. A fervent believer and very close to imperial power, he tried to reconcile the Church and the interests of the Empire in his decisions: in particular, he blessed Napoleon I's two marriages, pleaded in favor of his divorce, and baptized the King of Rome. Also a great lover of art, his collections were partially dispersed after his death; what remained is now reunited and exhibited in the Palais Fesch in Ajaccio.