INFANTRY OF THE FIRST EMPIRE (Grenadiers, carabiniers, Grenadier of the Consuls' Guard, Light Infantry...): SOLDIERS OF STRASBOURG, CARDBOARD FIGURINE GOAUCHED BY THE WURTZ FAMILY, SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY, AROUND 1815-1848. ITEM NUMBER: 31156-6
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NAPOLEONIC INFANTRY (Grenadiers, carabiniers, Consular Guard Grenadier, Light Infantry...): STRASBOURG SOLDIERS CARDBOARD FIGURINE painted by the WURTZ family, second half of the 19th century, circa 1815-1848. 31156-6
Four foot soldiers, H from the bottom of the base to eye level 8.5 cm.
Mounted on a wooden base.
France.
First half of the 19th century.
Good condition.
PROVENANCE:
Former Wurtz-Peés collection, then Saint-Aubin, and private collection.
Mr. Marcel Saint-Aubin, was a collector turned antiquarian between the wars. To my knowledge, no biography or article has ever been published about this individual who is nevertheless well-known among collectors and frequently cited in the provenance of historical objects often of high quality. Therefore, I will open my archives to shed more light on this great connoisseur:
"Mobilized during the First World War along with his brother in the infantry, the latter was killed at Verdun. Both shared the same taste for military memorabilia; 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 lived at 108 rue de Ménilmontant (Paris 20th), far away from the antique dealer districts. His choice focused on the specialty that had attracted him for a long time: military curiosities. The spark that led him to this specialty came from his first find: an officer saber from the Consulate, his first beautiful saber; he called it his 'lucky charm' and had always kept it.
The profession of antiquarian allowed Saint-Aubin to see and possess these cherished objects for a while. A fine connoisseur, he never made mistakes, and his clients benefited from his expertise. A passionate researcher, everything he discovered in his life was remarkably varied. Silent and modest, he had a way and a manner that left an indelible memory among enthusiasts who knew him.
Like most military objects dealers of that time, Marcel Saint-Aubin did not have a store. He received guests in his apartment, where few objects were found, and they occupied only a temporary place. Generally, like Paul Jean, he would fetch the items he wanted to sell from the neighboring room and would often present them without saying anything, with a slight smile, or if the item presented was truly exceptional, he would simply say in a low voice, 'It's top-notch...'
In June 1940, during the occupation, he left for 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 antique dealer district.
His love for the items he parted with was evident in the care he took in packaging them. Very skilled with his hands, he perfectly protected even the humblest piece.
Marcel Saint-Aubin passed away at the age of 83, taking with him the esteem of all who knew him, leaving behind a universally appreciated legacy of a man with high moral values."
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
The soldiers of Strasbourg are cardboard figurines, “flat” soldiers, cut from rigid cardboard. In most cases, these soldiers are drawn and then printed on sheets to easily multiply their number. Christian Blondieau, in his work "Petits soldats de plomb, d'étain, de papier, de carton…1765-1965 - Le guide du collectionneur" published by Le Képi Rouge, Paris 1996, specifies regarding cardboard soldiers:
"Unlike paper soldiers more geared towards youth, often colored in a clumsy manner, the cardboard soldier is made for adults and guarantees great uniformological precision, which serves as the basis for our modern documentation... Why do the little soldiers from Alsace stand out? Because they were made mostly by eyewitnesses of the time or their descendants, and are often contemporary with the era they represent. During the wars of the Revolution and the Empire, the inhabitants of Strasbourg (then a garrison town) saw a large number of soldiers in multicolored uniforms passing through their streets, heading to fight in Germany. This influx of troops, which lasted more than fifteen years, gave some the idea to "capture" on the spot these beautiful soldiers. Alsatian authors agree to cite Benjamin Zix (1772-1811) as the pioneer of the genre. Anticipating Léopold Beyer, the German Geisler, or the Austrian Klein, the Alsatian Zix gives us a very realistic aspect of the soldiers of the time, as a combatant himself, he roamed the battlefields more often armed with a pencil than a rifle. He became an Army officer draftsman.
From the peace of 1815 to the war of 1914, the Strasbourg artists continued from generation to generation this need to draw and paint..."
Among all these artists of the period, the three most well-known are: Thiébaut Borerst (1782-1824), Eugène Nicollet (1802-1872), and Wurtz, to whom we are dedicating a specific paragraph here.
WURTZ COLLECTION:
Wurtz began documenting under the First Empire and started making his figurines as of 1815. The production was continued by his son who completed his collection with the help of his father-in-law Mr. Peés in a 'Napoleonic' style during the Second Republic. Some of the figurines we present have the date 1848 on the back of the cardboard. These figurines are of very high quality. 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), writes that they are "the most precise and complete representation of troops of the First Empire." Each regiment is depicted in all ranks and types of uniforms in an exhaustive manner, which is rare in the representations of Strasbourg soldiers.
Wurtz's son likely filled in the uniforms he did not personally observe with other documentary sources; he left no notes or documentation. Following the fall of the Second Empire, Wurtz's son refused to remain in Strasbourg under Prussian occupation and moved to Paris in the Porte de Clichy neighborhood, where he ran a pharmacy. Upon his death in 1899, the majority of his collection - nearly 19,000 figures from his ancestor - was donated to the Musée de l’Armée on October 1st of the same year, where they were exhibited in 1938 and have remained since. Expert and specialist Christian Blondieau judges Wurtz's style to be comparable to that of Nicollet and Kratz.
Four foot soldiers, H from the bottom of the base to eye level 8.5 cm.
Mounted on a wooden base.
France.
First half of the 19th century.
Good condition.
PROVENANCE:
Former Wurtz-Peés collection, then Saint-Aubin, and private collection.
Mr. Marcel Saint-Aubin, was a collector turned antiquarian between the wars. To my knowledge, no biography or article has ever been published about this individual who is nevertheless well-known among collectors and frequently cited in the provenance of historical objects often of high quality. Therefore, I will open my archives to shed more light on this great connoisseur:
"Mobilized during the First World War along with his brother in the infantry, the latter was killed at Verdun. Both shared the same taste for military memorabilia; 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 lived at 108 rue de Ménilmontant (Paris 20th), far away from the antique dealer districts. His choice focused on the specialty that had attracted him for a long time: military curiosities. The spark that led him to this specialty came from his first find: an officer saber from the Consulate, his first beautiful saber; he called it his 'lucky charm' and had always kept it.
The profession of antiquarian allowed Saint-Aubin to see and possess these cherished objects for a while. A fine connoisseur, he never made mistakes, and his clients benefited from his expertise. A passionate researcher, everything he discovered in his life was remarkably varied. Silent and modest, he had a way and a manner that left an indelible memory among enthusiasts who knew him.
Like most military objects dealers of that time, Marcel Saint-Aubin did not have a store. He received guests in his apartment, where few objects were found, and they occupied only a temporary place. Generally, like Paul Jean, he would fetch the items he wanted to sell from the neighboring room and would often present them without saying anything, with a slight smile, or if the item presented was truly exceptional, he would simply say in a low voice, 'It's top-notch...'
In June 1940, during the occupation, he left for 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 antique dealer district.
His love for the items he parted with was evident in the care he took in packaging them. Very skilled with his hands, he perfectly protected even the humblest piece.
Marcel Saint-Aubin passed away at the age of 83, taking with him the esteem of all who knew him, leaving behind a universally appreciated legacy of a man with high moral values."
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
The soldiers of Strasbourg are cardboard figurines, “flat” soldiers, cut from rigid cardboard. In most cases, these soldiers are drawn and then printed on sheets to easily multiply their number. Christian Blondieau, in his work "Petits soldats de plomb, d'étain, de papier, de carton…1765-1965 - Le guide du collectionneur" published by Le Képi Rouge, Paris 1996, specifies regarding cardboard soldiers:
"Unlike paper soldiers more geared towards youth, often colored in a clumsy manner, the cardboard soldier is made for adults and guarantees great uniformological precision, which serves as the basis for our modern documentation... Why do the little soldiers from Alsace stand out? Because they were made mostly by eyewitnesses of the time or their descendants, and are often contemporary with the era they represent. During the wars of the Revolution and the Empire, the inhabitants of Strasbourg (then a garrison town) saw a large number of soldiers in multicolored uniforms passing through their streets, heading to fight in Germany. This influx of troops, which lasted more than fifteen years, gave some the idea to "capture" on the spot these beautiful soldiers. Alsatian authors agree to cite Benjamin Zix (1772-1811) as the pioneer of the genre. Anticipating Léopold Beyer, the German Geisler, or the Austrian Klein, the Alsatian Zix gives us a very realistic aspect of the soldiers of the time, as a combatant himself, he roamed the battlefields more often armed with a pencil than a rifle. He became an Army officer draftsman.
From the peace of 1815 to the war of 1914, the Strasbourg artists continued from generation to generation this need to draw and paint..."
Among all these artists of the period, the three most well-known are: Thiébaut Borerst (1782-1824), Eugène Nicollet (1802-1872), and Wurtz, to whom we are dedicating a specific paragraph here.
WURTZ COLLECTION:
Wurtz began documenting under the First Empire and started making his figurines as of 1815. The production was continued by his son who completed his collection with the help of his father-in-law Mr. Peés in a 'Napoleonic' style during the Second Republic. Some of the figurines we present have the date 1848 on the back of the cardboard. These figurines are of very high quality. 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), writes that they are "the most precise and complete representation of troops of the First Empire." Each regiment is depicted in all ranks and types of uniforms in an exhaustive manner, which is rare in the representations of Strasbourg soldiers.
Wurtz's son likely filled in the uniforms he did not personally observe with other documentary sources; he left no notes or documentation. Following the fall of the Second Empire, Wurtz's son refused to remain in Strasbourg under Prussian occupation and moved to Paris in the Porte de Clichy neighborhood, where he ran a pharmacy. Upon his death in 1899, the majority of his collection - nearly 19,000 figures from his ancestor - was donated to the Musée de l’Armée on October 1st of the same year, where they were exhibited in 1938 and have remained since. Expert and specialist Christian Blondieau judges Wurtz's style to be comparable to that of Nicollet and Kratz.
Reference :
31156-6
Next update Friday, december 12 at 13:30 PM
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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).