German 800 silver bowl commemorating Napoleon I and Marie-Louise. Lobed quatrefoil with embossed medallion bust portraits of the couple surmounted an eagle; at bottom a military trophy. Open sides with leaf swag with pendant ribboned medallions (vacant) applied to interior. Beaded rim. Mounted end handles in form of burning torch between gryphons.

The eternal flame such as might have been supposed to burn between Napoleon and his teenage bride, an Austrian archduchess—and grandniece no less of Marie Antoinette—who gave the emperor his longed-for male heir. They formed a devoted couple though with some reservations on the lady’s part. Not for Marie-Louise the island exile after the first husband messed up. The medallion portraits depict Napoleon turned in the direction of his wife, who does not reciprocate, but instead seems to be looking ahead to the post-Waterloo era, when she would go on to have two more husbands and four more children and be a ruler in her own right as the duchess of Parma.

Mark for Wolf & Knell, a Hanau maker active from ca 1887 to 1914. Very good condition.

Dimensions: H 2 1/8 x W 16 1/8 x D 10 1/2 in. Weight: 26.4 troy ounces. #BY169