Viton de Saint-Allais - Ordres de Chevalerie - 1811

NAPOLEONE AND THE LEGION OF HONOR: RARE FIRST EDITION WITH TWO LARGE ILLUSTRATED PLATES, OF THE IMPERIAL DECORATIONS
An extraordinary document from the Napoleonic era, published in Paris in 1811, at the height of the First French Empire. A work dedicated to the prestigious Legion of Honor, established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 to reward civil and military merit. Enriched by two spectacular copper-engraved and hand-watercolored plates, depicting crosses, plaques, and large imperial cords. A historical repertory of the statutes, dignities, and decorations of the order, compiled by the renowned genealogist Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais.
A complete copy with both plates, with the original pink editorial wrappers preserved and an elegant modern binding in marbled paper.

ABSTRACT
Histoire générale des ordres de chevalerie civils et militaires existant en Europe. Empire français. Légion d'honneur by Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais constitutes an important testimony to the history of Napoleonic decorations, published in Paris in 1811, when the French Empire had reached one of its peaks of expansion and prestige. The work is specifically dedicated to the Legion d’Onore, the most famous honorary institution created by Napoleon Bonaparte, and reconstructs its origins, organization, statutes, and the different dignities. The treatise also includes a nomenclature of the decorated, offering a valuable record of the military and civil figures who contributed to the construction of the imperial system. Particularly spectacular is the iconographic apparatus, composed of two large unbound plates copper-engraved and finely hand-colored, reproducing the insignia of the Legion d'Onore in their various forms. The depictions, made with particular attention to heraldic and chromatic details, document the original appearance of the Napoleonic decorations, from the large red cords to the enamelled crosses and the plates of the high dignitaries. A work that unites military history, genealogy, heraldry, iconography, and the collecting of decorations, offering a direct witness of the recognition system created by the First Empire.

WHY TO BUY
A publication of particular interest for collectors of Napoleonic books, military history, heraldry, and antique decorations. The 1811 edition possesses significant documentary value because it was printed during Napoleon I’s reign, when the Legion d’Onore represented one of the main instruments of recognizing merit and consolidating the new imperial elite. The volume is not a simple retrospective reconstruction but a contemporary testimony of the order’s organization and its members. The principal attractive element is formed by the two large hand-watercolored copper plates, which reproduce the decorations with extraordinary visual effectiveness, using the deep red of the cords, the gold of the insignia, and the characteristic colors of the enamels. Particularly evocative is the grand representation of the Grand Aigle decoration, with the broad red ribbon and the central imperial cross. The presence of both plates is an essential element for the collectible interest of the copy. The preservation of the original pink editorial wrappers, with elegant typographic ornamental borders, adds an important testimony to the publishing format of 1811. The subsequent binding in marbled paper protects the volume without sacrificing its bibliographic identity.

MARKET VALUE
The first edition of 1811 belongs to a specialized sector of the antique market, in which illustrated Napoleonic works and repertories of imperial decorations are particularly valued. The value is closely tied to the presence of the two large hand-watercolored plates, which constitute the main attractor. For the offered copy, complete with the two hand-watercolored plates, with fresh interior, preserved original wrappers, and modern protective binding, an indicative commercial range of 500–600 euros appears reasonable for a sale to a specialized antique market.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Later binding in full marbled paper with polychromic motifs in red, yellow, gray, and cream tones, with a red inlay applied to the front board bearing the title and the year 1811 in gold letters. The original pink editorial wrapper is preserved inside, with a black ornamental frame composed of floral and geometric motifs. The front cover features the general title of the work. Complete with the two large plates unbound, copper-engraved and hand-watercolored, depicting the Napoleonic Legion d’Onore decorations, with plaques, crosses, insignia, and large cords. In old books with a centuries-long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI views. Refer to the original photographs to verify the actual condition of the item. Images are an integral part of the description. Pp. (6); 6nn; 156; 2nn; (6).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais.
Histoire générale des ordres de chevalerie civils et militaires existant en Europe.
Paris, chez M. Gérardy, Patris et Cie, Veuve Lepetit, 1811.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Legion d'Onore was instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte on May 19, 1802, when he still held the office of First Consul of the French Republic. The creation of the order represented one of the most significant innovations of the new political system born from the Revolution, as it introduced an official distinction designed to reward services to the State, both military and civilian. In a country that had abolished feudal privileges and the old monarchic orders, the Legion d'Onore offered a recognition system grounded, at least in its founding principles, on merit and public service. With the proclamation of the Empire in 1804, the institution progressively assumed an ever more important ceremonial and political role, becoming one of the visible symbols of the new Napoleonic hierarchy. The decoration was conferred on officers, generals, administrators, scientists, artists, and figures who had contributed to France’s prestige. The order’s organization provided for different grades and dignities, each distinguished by specific insignia, while conferment ceremonies were often marked by great solemnity. Saint-Allais’s work fits precisely into this context, documenting the arrangement of the Legion d'Onore during the First Empire and offering a repertory of decorated personalities. The two watercolored plates constitute a particularly important testament to the official iconography of the Napoleonic insignia. The grand decoration of Grand'Aigle, depicted with the characteristic red ribbon and the central imperial elements, reflects the visual language of the new imperial monarchy, in which eagles, crowns, stars, and classical motifs contributed to the construction of the Napoleonian power image. The crosses and plaques depicted on the second plate document the different dignities of the order, providing valuable details for the study of heraldic art and military decorations. Published in 1811, in the heart of Napoleon’s continental dominance, the volume stands as a contemporary testimony to the system of honors and the political culture of the First Empire, before the great military crises that would determine its fall.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais (Langres, April 6, 1773 – Paris, February 15, 1842) was a French genealogist, heraldist, historian, and publisher, among the leading compilers of noble and knightly repertoires of the Napoleonic era and the Restoration. Born into a bourgeois family, he initially pursued a military career during the French Revolution, serving in the republican army and collaborating with General Guillaume Brune. He later dedicated himself to genealogical, heraldic, and historical studies, developing a publishing activity specialized in reconstructing aristocratic genealogies and documenting European knightly orders. In 1808 he became director of the Bureau général de la Noblesse de France, an important private center for genealogical research, contributing to the publication of numerous repertoires devoted to French noble families. His most famous work is the monumental Nobiliaire universel de France, a comprehensive genealogical collection that would become one of the main reference tools for studies on French nobility. He was also the author and editor of publications dedicated to knightly orders, dynastic genealogies, military history, and historical chronology. His work situates itself in a period of profound political transformations, in which traditional nobility, the Napoleonic aristocracy, and new honorific institutions coexisted within a continually evolving social system. Through the collection of documents, names, statutes, and insignia, Saint-Allais contributed to the preservation of essential information for the history of European elites and knightly distinctions. His editorial output remains an important testimony to French genealogical culture between the Revolution, the Empire, and the Restoration.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Histoire générale des ordres de chevalerie civils et militaires existant en Europe was conceived as a repertory dedicated to knightly orders and honor distinctions of the major European States. The volume concerning the French Empire and the Legion d’Onore appeared in Paris in 1811, from Gérardy, Patris et Cie and Veuve Lepetit, with printing by the C.-F. Patris typography. The publication presents a bibliographic layout characteristic of high-end heraldic works of the early 19th century, in which historical and documentary text is accompanied by large-format plates intended to faithfully reproduce the decorations. The copper-engraving choice allowed for a particularly accurate representation of shapes, ornamental details, and inscriptions, while hand coloring enabled the rendition of the chromatic effects of ribbons, enamels, and metals. The two plates dedicated to the Legion d’Onore were designed to offer a representation of the insignia in their proportions and decorative characteristics. The large size of the sheets required folding to fit into the volume, a common editorial solution in heraldic, scientific, and military publications of the time. The specialist character of the work and the use of hand-watercolored plates indicate a publication aimed primarily at a readership of officers, officials, genealogists, collectors, and enthusiasts of the history of knightly orders. The original 1811 printing run is not documented with certainty. The survival of copies complete with the two plates is of particular interest, as the large-format illustrations, easily detachable from the text, are prone to dispersion and deterioration. The preservation of the pink editorial wrappers also documents the original publishing format of this Napoleonic publication.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais, Histoire générale des ordres de chevalerie civils et militaires existant en Europe. Empire français. Légion d'honneur, Paris, Gérardy, Patris et Cie et Veuve Lepetit, 1811. First edition of the volume dedicated to the Imperial Order of the Legion d’Onore, comprising 135 pages and two large unbound copper-engraved and hand-watercolored plates. The bibliographic collation also includes two preliminary maps and a final map. The work constitutes a contemporary testimony of Napoleonic honorific institutions and stands out for the richness of information regarding the organization of the order, its statutes, the ranks, and the decorated. Of particular importance is the nomenclature of the Legion d’Onore members, which allows reconstructing the social and military composition of the institution during the First Empire. The two large colored plates represent an iconographic document of notable value for the history of heraldry, reproducing the insignia and decorations with particular attention to the form of the crosses, plaques, and large cords. The volume belongs to Saint-Allais’s specialized production, author of important French genealogical and heraldic repertoires, and constitutes a meaningful example of historical-documentary literature published during Napoleon I’s reign. The preservation of the original editorial wrappers and of the complete illustrative apparatus gives the exemplar particular appeal for collections devoted to the Napoleonic Empire, to French military history, and to European knightly orders.