CAMBACÉRÈS — 1811 IMPERIAL ENDOWMENT PATENT FOR COLONEL JEAN GÉRARD BONNAIRE
Paris, May 30, 1811. With imperial counterseal and green ribbons.
An imperial brevet d’investiture establishing an annual endowment of 2,000 francs for Jean Gérard Bonnaire, identified as colonel commanding the Seventh Demi-Brigade, Officer of the Legion of Honor, and Chevalier of the Empire.
Printed text completed in manuscript, accompanied by a detailed schedule of property and revenues at Gispersleben in the province of Erfurt. The document sets out the endowment’s hereditary transmission and the conditions governing its possession. It bears signatures attributed to Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, Prince Archchancellor of the Empire, and Count Régnier, secretary general of the Conseil du Sceau des Titres.
The embossed imperial-eagle counterseal and surviving green ribbons provide attractive physical evidence of the document’s official character.
Bonnaire later attained the rank of brigadier general. A veteran of Napoleon’s campaigns, he commanded Condé during the Hundred Days and died in prison in 1816 following prosecution under the restored monarchy.
Condition: Age toning, scattered spotting and soiling, folds, creasing, and marginal wear. Ribbons show fraying; the embossed seal retains a distinct impression with some wear. Text and signatures remain substantially legible.
An informative example of Napoleon’s system of hereditary military rewards, documenting the property revenues supporting an officer’s endowment.
Paris, May 30, 1811. With imperial counterseal and green ribbons.
An imperial brevet d’investiture establishing an annual endowment of 2,000 francs for Jean Gérard Bonnaire, identified as colonel commanding the Seventh Demi-Brigade, Officer of the Legion of Honor, and Chevalier of the Empire.
Printed text completed in manuscript, accompanied by a detailed schedule of property and revenues at Gispersleben in the province of Erfurt. The document sets out the endowment’s hereditary transmission and the conditions governing its possession. It bears signatures attributed to Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, Prince Archchancellor of the Empire, and Count Régnier, secretary general of the Conseil du Sceau des Titres.
The embossed imperial-eagle counterseal and surviving green ribbons provide attractive physical evidence of the document’s official character.
Bonnaire later attained the rank of brigadier general. A veteran of Napoleon’s campaigns, he commanded Condé during the Hundred Days and died in prison in 1816 following prosecution under the restored monarchy.
Condition: Age toning, scattered spotting and soiling, folds, creasing, and marginal wear. Ribbons show fraying; the embossed seal retains a distinct impression with some wear. Text and signatures remain substantially legible.
An informative example of Napoleon’s system of hereditary military rewards, documenting the property revenues supporting an officer’s endowment.
