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Félicité Louis Urbain MENOUVRIER de FRESNE (1783-1848).
See original version (French)
100
-
Félicité Louis Urbain MENOUVRIER de FRESNE (1783-1848).
See original version (French)
Estimate €20,000 - €30,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Félicité Louis Urbain MENOUVRIER de FRESNE (1783-1848).
Beautiful commemorative award sword.
Gold sword of the type of the swords of officers of staff model vendémiaire An XII.
Pommel in helmet with empanached grid.
Commemorative fuse with four gold plates adorned with eight chainette fillets,
engraved, on the obverse, "Ville de St Pierre Martque à Mr Menouvrier de Fresne lieut. de vaisseau commandt le BRICK de Sa M. I. R. LE CYGNE" and, decorated below, two crossed anchors; on the reverse,
"En mémoire de sa Belle Défense les 12 et 13 décembre 1808 à l'anse du Céron contre six batimts anglais", decorated below with the engraving of a "canon sur un fût".
The hilt has a lion's head hook, decorated in the middle with a stylised faceted diamond motif, enriched on both sides with foliage, and two straight chased quillons.
Body knot carved with trophies, helmets and foliage, resting on a serrated ring with en suite decoration.
Bivalve keyboard edged and decorated with foliage, with quillon adorned with a palm, turned up on one side.
Beautifully engraved triangular blade, gilded and blued on one half, with foliage motifs and trophies of arms.
Black morocco scabbard with cut gold cap, engraved with a frieze at the base, and cap knob embellished with a radiating star motif (compass rose).
Brass butt-strap engraved with a frieze (later).
An important file containing
-the report of Lieutenant MENOUVRIER-DEFRESNE, (14 pages), relating the fight and the scuttling of his ship in the Cove, on 12 and 13 December 1808:
"...Left to my own devices, on a coast that was unknown to me, I did everything in my power to save the ship: two of my boats swam ahead to drag me out to sea. I had my jibs and main staysail hoisted and tucked in. I was about to send out a jet anchor to turn offshore; we were preparing to place it in the boat when I learnt that the ship was sinking low in water, that it was penetrating everywhere and that the little powder I had left was drowned. I immediately launched my longboat and saved my wounded and my crew. My battery was charged. From time to time I fired my cannon to hide my situation from the enemy division; they easily reached me and cannoned me. With only my staff and a gunner left on board, we were sinking hard. In this situation, we fired forward in a go of tar and left the ship after throwing the guns overboard so that the enemy could not take advantage of them. The enemy machine-gunned us to death, but only sent barges aboard Le Cygne after she had been burning for three quarters of an hour and was submerged. Although I was attacked by seven ships in this second affair, no one was hurt and I have no reason to regret anyone's death.
Only the ship was lost; we saved the flour, some of the wine and salt products as well as the armaments...",
-a letter from Francois Joseph Bouvet, rear-admiral, military chief at the port of Brest, dated 30 Vendémiaire, Year 14, ordering Mr Menouvrier-Defresne to embark on his frigate, La Comète, to carry out the duties of his rank,
-a letter of congratulations from the Commissaires du Commerce, dated 15/12/1808, addressed to Mr Menouvrier-Defresne: "... having learned with sensitivity of the loss that your crew has made of part of their effects, they have asked us to offer you a small sum to compensate them...",
-a letter from the Secretary of State for the Royal Household and Orders of Chivalry, dated 30/11/1821, appointing him a Knight of the Order of Saint-Ferdinand,
-a letter from the Ministry of the Navy and Colonies, dated 09/03/1831, appointing him Commander of the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour,
-a drawing showing his belt and the dagger given to him at the same time as the sword by the town of Saint-Pierre, Martinique.
-a photograph of the sword we are presenting.
Biography :
Félicité Louis Urbain MENOUVRIER DEFRESNE (Paris, 1783 - Lorient, 1848).
After a difficult childhood, he joined the Navy, not without difficulty, around 1797, at the age of 14. He started out as a sailor on several French frigates (brigs or ships), on missions to Cadiz and Santo Domingo in particular. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1806 and then Captain.
His career is best known for his command of the brig Le Cygne during the Napoleonic Wars.
On 10 November 1808, Menouvrier de Fresne set sail from Cherbourg aboard Le Cygne bound for Martinique, which was under British blockade. After being spotted by British forces in the Céron cove, the ship fought a fierce battle on 12 December 1808. To avoid capture, Menouvrier de Fresne finally had his ship scuttled.
After the Empire, he continued his career and reached the rank of rear-admiral.
In 1842 he was appointed Acting Maritime Prefect of Lorient. He held this position until 1845.
Knight of the Order of Saint Louis, 1814.
Knight of the Legion of Honour, 1809; Officer, 1823; Commander, 1831 and Grand Officer 1845.
The episode of the Swan fight on 12 December 1808 is famous enough to have inspired several artistic representations held in French public collections (see engraving held by the Musée d'Aquitaine).
https://musee-aquitaine.opacweb.fr/fr/notice/2003-4-331-le-cygne-navire-a-deux-mats-aborde-par-les-embarcations-d-une-division-anglaise-437e25ce-6f12-4f24-b2d2-f553b39dae95
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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