NAPOLEONIC NAVY SAILORS CORPS: STRASBOURG SOLDIERS CARDBOARD FIGURINE GOUACHE PAINTED BY THE WURTZ FAMILY, SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY, AROUND 1815-1848. 31156
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CORPS DES MATELOTS DE LA GARDE PREMIER EMPIRE: SOLDIERS OF STRASBOURG CARD FIGURINE ON CARDBOARD painted in gouache by the WURTZ family, second half of the 19th century, around 1815-1848. 31156-1
A pedestrian, height from the base of the stand to eye level 8.5 cm.
Mounted on a wooden base.
France.
First half of the 19th century.
Good condition.
PROVENANCE:
Formerly part of the Wurtz-Pees Collection and then the Saint-Aubin Collection, and subsequently held in private ownership.
Mr. Marcel Saint-Aubin was a collector who later became an antiquarian between the two World Wars. To my knowledge, no biography or article has ever been published about this individual, who is nevertheless known amongst collectors and frequently mentioned in the provenance of historical objects of great quality. Therefore, I am opening my archives to shed more light on this distinguished connoisseur:
"Mobilized during the First World War along with his brother in the infantry, the latter was killed in Verdun. Both shared a passion for military memorabilia; they both drew and published their drawings in the magazine 'La Giberne' before 1914.
After the war, he established himself as an antiquarian. In 1926, he resided at 108 rue de Ménilmontant (Paris 20ᵉ), far outside the preferred districts of antiquarians. His focus was on the specialty that had attracted him for a long time: military curiosities. His interest in this specialty was sparked by his first significant find: a Consulate cavalry officer's saber, which he considered his 'good luck charm' and always kept with him.
The profession of an antiquarian allowed Saint-Aubin to see and possess these treasured items for a limited time. A discerning expert, he never made mistakes, and his clients benefited from his knowledge. A passionate researcher, everything he discovered in his life was astonishingly diverse. Quiet and modest, he had an art and manner that left an indelible memory among the enthusiasts who knew him.
Like most military item dealers of that era, Marcel Saint-Aubin did not have a shop. He would receive visitors in his apartment, where few items were displayed, taking up only temporary space. Typically, like Paul Jean, he would fetch the items he wished to sell from the adjacent room and present them, often without saying a word, with a faint smile, or if the item was truly exceptional, he would simply say in a calm tone, 'This is first-rate…'.
In June 1940, during the occupation, he moved to Guingamp. He returned to Paris and resettled in late 1951 in the house he had acquired at 16 rue Henri Pape, in the 13th arrondissement, once again far from the antiquarian district. His care for the objects he parted with extended to the meticulous packaging he provided. Skilled with his hands, he perfectly protected even the most modest piece.
Marcel Saint-Aubin passed away at the age of 83, carrying with him the esteem of all who knew him, leaving behind the lasting memory of a man with great moral values."
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
The "Soldiers of Strasbourg" are cardboard figurines, known as "flat" soldiers, cut from sturdy cardboard. In most cases, these soldiers were designed and printed in sheets to facilitate mass production.
Christian Blondieau, in his work "Little Soldiers in Lead, Tin, Paper, Cardboard... 1765-1965 - A Collector's Guide," Edition Le Képi Rouge Paris 1996, notes the following about cardboard soldiers:
"Contrary to paper soldiers, which are more oriented towards children and often colored in a clumsy manner, cardboard soldiers are created for adults and guarantee a high level of uniform accuracy, forming the basis of our modern documentation... Why are the little soldiers from Alsace noteworthy? Because they were typically made by eyewitnesses of the time or their descendants, often contemporaneous with the era they represent.
During the Wars of the Revolution and the Empire, the residents of Strasbourg (a garrison town at the time) witnessed a multitude of soldiers in colorful uniforms parading through their streets heading to battle in Germany.
Inspired by this influx of troops that lasted over fifteen years, some individuals took it upon themselves to sketch these magnificent soldiers on the spot.
Alsatian authors commonly cite Benjamin Zix (1772-1811) as a pioneer in this field. Leading the way ahead of Léopold Beyer, the German Geisler, and the Austrian Klein, Alsatian Zix provides a realistic portrayal of the soldiers of the time since, being a soldier himself, he wandered battlefields armed more frequently with a pencil than a rifle. He became an Officer and Illustrator in the Army.
From the peace of 1815 to the war of 1914, Strasbourg artists continued this tradition of drawing and painting from generation to generation..."
COLLECTION WURTZ-PEEZ (German spelling Würtz):
Wurtz commenced his documentation during the First Empire thanks to his friend J.P LÉvêque, a former surgeon of the Grande Armée who had compiled significant information on Napoleon's armies. Wurtz began making his figurines in 1825 with the assistance of his son and later his stepfather Pees. The production continued under his son, who completed the Napoleonic collection, with some figurines in our possession dated 1848 on the back. The author Edward Ryan in his book "Paper Soldiers the illustrated history of printed paper armies of the 18th, 19th & 20th centuries" (Golden Age Editions, London 1995) remarked that it was "the most precise and comprehensive representation of troops from the First Empire." Each regiment is meticulously depicted in all grades and uniform types, a rarity among Strasbourg soldier representations.
Frédéric Wurtz, Wurtz's son, likely supplemented the uniforms he hadn't observed personally through other documentary sources.
After the fall of the Second Empire, Frédéric Wurtz refused to remain in Strasbourg under Prussian occupation and moved to Paris on Boulevard de Clichy, where he operated a pharmacy. Following his passing in 1898, the majority of his collection - nearly 16,000 figurines - was donated to the Musée de l'Armée on October 1, 1899, by his widow and his son, a military doctor. They were exhibited in 1938 and have remained there since. Expert Christian Blondieau views Wurtz's style as comparable to Nicollet and Kratz.
A pedestrian, height from the base of the stand to eye level 8.5 cm.
Mounted on a wooden base.
France.
First half of the 19th century.
Good condition.
PROVENANCE:
Formerly part of the Wurtz-Pees Collection and then the Saint-Aubin Collection, and subsequently held in private ownership.
Mr. Marcel Saint-Aubin was a collector who later became an antiquarian between the two World Wars. To my knowledge, no biography or article has ever been published about this individual, who is nevertheless known amongst collectors and frequently mentioned in the provenance of historical objects of great quality. Therefore, I am opening my archives to shed more light on this distinguished connoisseur:
"Mobilized during the First World War along with his brother in the infantry, the latter was killed in Verdun. Both shared a passion for military memorabilia; they both drew and published their drawings in the magazine 'La Giberne' before 1914.
After the war, he established himself as an antiquarian. In 1926, he resided at 108 rue de Ménilmontant (Paris 20ᵉ), far outside the preferred districts of antiquarians. His focus was on the specialty that had attracted him for a long time: military curiosities. His interest in this specialty was sparked by his first significant find: a Consulate cavalry officer's saber, which he considered his 'good luck charm' and always kept with him.
The profession of an antiquarian allowed Saint-Aubin to see and possess these treasured items for a limited time. A discerning expert, he never made mistakes, and his clients benefited from his knowledge. A passionate researcher, everything he discovered in his life was astonishingly diverse. Quiet and modest, he had an art and manner that left an indelible memory among the enthusiasts who knew him.
Like most military item dealers of that era, Marcel Saint-Aubin did not have a shop. He would receive visitors in his apartment, where few items were displayed, taking up only temporary space. Typically, like Paul Jean, he would fetch the items he wished to sell from the adjacent room and present them, often without saying a word, with a faint smile, or if the item was truly exceptional, he would simply say in a calm tone, 'This is first-rate…'.
In June 1940, during the occupation, he moved to Guingamp. He returned to Paris and resettled in late 1951 in the house he had acquired at 16 rue Henri Pape, in the 13th arrondissement, once again far from the antiquarian district. His care for the objects he parted with extended to the meticulous packaging he provided. Skilled with his hands, he perfectly protected even the most modest piece.
Marcel Saint-Aubin passed away at the age of 83, carrying with him the esteem of all who knew him, leaving behind the lasting memory of a man with great moral values."
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
The "Soldiers of Strasbourg" are cardboard figurines, known as "flat" soldiers, cut from sturdy cardboard. In most cases, these soldiers were designed and printed in sheets to facilitate mass production.
Christian Blondieau, in his work "Little Soldiers in Lead, Tin, Paper, Cardboard... 1765-1965 - A Collector's Guide," Edition Le Képi Rouge Paris 1996, notes the following about cardboard soldiers:
"Contrary to paper soldiers, which are more oriented towards children and often colored in a clumsy manner, cardboard soldiers are created for adults and guarantee a high level of uniform accuracy, forming the basis of our modern documentation... Why are the little soldiers from Alsace noteworthy? Because they were typically made by eyewitnesses of the time or their descendants, often contemporaneous with the era they represent.
During the Wars of the Revolution and the Empire, the residents of Strasbourg (a garrison town at the time) witnessed a multitude of soldiers in colorful uniforms parading through their streets heading to battle in Germany.
Inspired by this influx of troops that lasted over fifteen years, some individuals took it upon themselves to sketch these magnificent soldiers on the spot.
Alsatian authors commonly cite Benjamin Zix (1772-1811) as a pioneer in this field. Leading the way ahead of Léopold Beyer, the German Geisler, and the Austrian Klein, Alsatian Zix provides a realistic portrayal of the soldiers of the time since, being a soldier himself, he wandered battlefields armed more frequently with a pencil than a rifle. He became an Officer and Illustrator in the Army.
From the peace of 1815 to the war of 1914, Strasbourg artists continued this tradition of drawing and painting from generation to generation..."
COLLECTION WURTZ-PEEZ (German spelling Würtz):
Wurtz commenced his documentation during the First Empire thanks to his friend J.P LÉvêque, a former surgeon of the Grande Armée who had compiled significant information on Napoleon's armies. Wurtz began making his figurines in 1825 with the assistance of his son and later his stepfather Pees. The production continued under his son, who completed the Napoleonic collection, with some figurines in our possession dated 1848 on the back. The author Edward Ryan in his book "Paper Soldiers the illustrated history of printed paper armies of the 18th, 19th & 20th centuries" (Golden Age Editions, London 1995) remarked that it was "the most precise and comprehensive representation of troops from the First Empire." Each regiment is meticulously depicted in all grades and uniform types, a rarity among Strasbourg soldier representations.
Frédéric Wurtz, Wurtz's son, likely supplemented the uniforms he hadn't observed personally through other documentary sources.
After the fall of the Second Empire, Frédéric Wurtz refused to remain in Strasbourg under Prussian occupation and moved to Paris on Boulevard de Clichy, where he operated a pharmacy. Following his passing in 1898, the majority of his collection - nearly 16,000 figurines - was donated to the Musée de l'Armée on October 1, 1899, by his widow and his son, a military doctor. They were exhibited in 1938 and have remained there since. Expert Christian Blondieau views Wurtz's style as comparable to Nicollet and Kratz.
Reference :
31156-01
Next update Friday, January 30 at 13:30 PM
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An authenticity certificate of the item including the description published on the site, the period, the sale price, accompanied by one or more color photographs is automatically provided for any item priced over 130 euros. Below this price, each certificate is charged 5 euros.
Only items sold by me are subject to an authenticity certificate, I do not provide any expert reports for items sold by third parties (colleagues or collectors).
FOR ALL PURCHASES, PAYMENT IN MULTIPLE CHECKS POSSIBLE
bertrand.malvaux@wanadoo.fr 06 07 75 74 63
An authenticity certificate of the item including the description published on the site, the period, the sale price, accompanied by one or more color photographs is automatically provided for any item priced over 130 euros. Below this price, each certificate is charged 5 euros.
Only items sold by me are subject to an authenticity certificate, I do not provide any expert reports for items sold by third parties (colleagues or collectors).