[Court of Naples] Athénaïs de Rocquemont,... - Lot 336 - Conan Belleville Hôtel d'Ainay

[Court of Naples] Athénaïs de Rocquemont, Baroness of Arlincourt, wife of the General, lady-in-waiting to Queen Caroline. 75 L.A.S. to her husband the Baron of Arlincourt. Naples, 1811-1815 (the last written records of 1815 from Capo di Monte, when the Baron was a prisoner of the Austrians and imprisoned in Hungary). 194 pp. in-4 and in-4. Gilt slices, watermarked papers with the effigy of Napoleon. Some addresses on the back. Fascinating exchanges of correspondence written during the absences of the Baron d'Arlincourt, giving an insight into the life of a family of officers living in a palace (the Acton palace, in Naples), during the reign of Murat, and the events that punctuate it: life at court, relations with Caroline Bonaparte and Murat, the eruption of Vesuvius, Murat's betrayal, etc. Let us quote 3 representative letters. Letter dated 6 September 1811, written during Charles' trip with Princess Caroline Bonaparte to Paris. "I confess to you, my dear Charles, the only thing I want is that you come back only with the Queen, you left with her, you must come back with her []. My position here is not a happy one, but I am comforted by the idea that you are with the Queen, that you can be useful to her, and it is for me a great deal that you can show her our attachment; all my desire is that she should continue her kindness to me and make me come close to you []. Marshal Pérignon arrived yesterday morning, he was in despair for not having seen the Queen, you know how attached he is to her, he is always good as usual. The King received him very well, how could it be possible to receive such a brave man badly? I am sending the Queen several fans, there are only three left, so that all those she told me to have done are finished; I will send her another one, there are always some left. I did not want to write to H.M. for fear of annoying her, she has other things to do than to read my letters. However, do me the pleasure of