Napoleon's, Catherine II's autographs to be put up for auction in Russia

MOSCOW. Jan 15 (Interfax) - The autographs of Napoleon Bonaparte and Catherine II, which have been preserved on documents, will be put up for auction, the Litfond auction house's press service said.

"Attention is drawn to the autographs of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), which are put up for an auction on January 25. First, an extremely rare document of the era of the Napoleonic wars, related to Italians' mobilization in the army and written on April 2, 1813 in the Elysee Palace is a decree in Italian (Paris, 1813). [...] The starting bid at the upcoming auction is announced at 280,000 rubles," the auction's press service said.

The second original document with Napoleon's autograph, which is Bonaparte's handwritten signature on the license to the captain of a French ship, which was issued for the delivery of goods from and to England, is also put up for 280,000 rubles at the auction.

In addition, a patent for the rank of second major to Konstantin Lvov with the autographs of Empress Catherine II and her son, Admiral General Pavel Petrovich, were also put up for auction. The sales of similar patents at Russian auctions reached half a million rubles, and the leading price for the rarity at the upcoming auction is announced at 130,000 rubles, the press service said.

The most significant Russian award signs will also be presented at the auction, among them, the Star of the Order of St. Anna for non-Christians for 750,000 rubles, and the Marian sign of the 1st degree for ladies for 40 years of service in charitable institutions of the Office of Empress Maria Feodorovna for 400,000 rubles.

The top lot of the upcoming auction will be a completely engraved edition, which is dedicated to one of the most powerful European dynasties, the House of Habsburg, by Francesco Terzi with engravings done by Italian artist of the Renaissance period Gaspar Ozello Avibus (Venice, 1569-1573).

The edition is issued in five parts and will be presented in a complete set at the Litfond auction, the press service said. At the same time, around 15 copies are known to have been saved in the world. The auction copy contains 56 engraved sheets, unlike other copies. Thus, there are only 43 sheets in a copy of the State Hermitage Museum, there are 50 in a copy of the Berlin Library, 51 in the Library of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 17 in the Bavarian National Library (only the first part), and 51 in the British Museum.

"The only copy of the House of Habsburg on the antique market in a complete set is put up for the Litfond [auction] on January 25 at a starting bid of 5 million rubles," the press service said.

The auction house will hold the bidding on January 18 and January 25.