GOLD, 49x44 mm., 68.76 g., with beautifully engraved dial with Roman cyphers and thin, blued hands for hours, minutes and seconds on its own dial, the case’s reverse with magnificent, enamel miniature half-tone portrait of the Duke of Wellington wearing full-dress uniform with orders, within a decorative pattern of gold foil acanthus leaves, opening the case’s back, the further mechanism’s cover is engraved “Ex.d by E.J. dent watchmaker to the Queen”, sphaerical loop with ring and its thin, gold chain, ending with gold-mounted key, in its original, brown-black morocco presentation case, the lid, richly gold-embossed with the maker’s data of Messrs. Dent, enriched by the coats of arms of Great Britain and Russia, to which Houses Messrs Dent were appointed as Court Watchmakers, red velvet fitted inner compartment.
A Luxurious, beautiful and unique piece, presented by the winner of Waterloo, excellent condition.
provenance: the estate of the opera singer Giuseppina Grassini, by descent.
note: Giuseppina Grassini (1773–1850), born in Lombardy, received his early musical training by her parents, both musicians, she then studied in Milan
and soon, in 1789 had her first on-stage success as an opera soprano at the ducal theatre of Parma and at the Scala in Milan, from then, her career and success on Europe’s stages made her famous both for her voice and her personal beauty, in 1800, after her success at the Scala in Milan, she met Napoleon Bonaparte, who was present and soon an affair began, where G. Grassini followed the First Consul to Paris; her adventurous character and artistic skills, led her to break with Napoleon and visit theatres throughout Europe... with further, more or less important affairs with personalities of the Napoleonic era. She was in London, where a great success was reported in 1805 for her interpretation in von Winter’s “Zaira” and perhaps in that occasion she first met Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington. She was back in Paris during Napoleon “100 Jours”, but a renewed relationship with the Emperor is not documented. Still in Paris at the Restauration, she met (again) the Duke of Wellington, there as British ambassador, but soon she was forced to leave Paris, by order of King Louis XVIII. She moved to London, where further success on stage was achieved at Haymarket theatre, while in the meantime, she cultivated her relationship with the Duke of Wellington. Returned to Milan, she toured throughout Italy until 1823, when the lowering of her voice capabilities made her decide to retreat from the scenes, becoming an appreciated teacher.
Giuseppina Grassini exemplified the type of the adventurous, free woman and a great artist between the period of the French Revolution and the Restauration, knowing even in the most intimate way, many of the prominent personalities of her time. I RR!