Embroidered cross-stitch top with imperial eagle and C & J initials c.1807
Needlepoint padded top from a ‘porte mouchoir’ handkerchief case, with imperial eagle and initials C and J. Possibly for the marriage of Catherine and Jarome Napoleon.
This top is similar to one on a chest that the Empress Marie-Louise had in her possession.
Description
Embroidered panel from a lady’s personal or linen case, bearing a crowned Imperial eagle and the initials C and J; French, First Empire, probably c.1807-1813. The initials and Imperial iconography raise the intriguing possibility of an association with Catherine of Württemberg and Jérôme Bonaparte, King and Queen of Westphalia. Possibly connected with their marriage in August 1807.
History & Context
An unusual Empire-period embroidered and quilted textile panel, probably originally forming the lid or cover of a small casket, ‘porte mouchoir’ or sewing box, worked in coloured silk threads with a crowned imperial eagle above the initials “C” and “J”, enclosed within floral wreaths of roses and blue blossoms. The delicate needlework, soft colour palette, and refined decorative vocabulary are characteristic of fashionable court taste during the Napoleonic era, combining imperial symbolism with intimate domestic ornament.
The paired initials are traditionally associated with Queen Catherine of Westphalia (1783–1835) and Jérôme Bonaparte (1784–1860), King and Queen of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Westphalia (1807–1813), whose court at Kassel cultivated a sophisticated decorative style blending French Empire and German princely traditions. The crowned eagle motif further reinforces the object’s dynastic and imperial associations.
The quilted reverse and surviving edge construction suggest the panel originally formed part of a fitted luxury object, possibly a sewing box, dressing case, or small personal casket. Comparable domestic luxury objects associated with the Westphalian court survive in German collections, though embroidered textile survivals of this type appear to be rare.
Marks & Inscriptions
Imperial eagle with C & J initials.
Additional photographs
