France Six "King of Rome" lead soldiers Polychrome painted lead, blue uniform with red trim, wearing a black shako with a painted number at the top H: 35 mm Paint chips and slight dents Provenance : SUDUCA sale, Toulouse, 3 November 2022, lot no. 4 Related literature : -Article by Karine Huguenaud of the Fondation Napoléon, 2002 "The story of the King of Rome's lead soldiers is astonishing. It began in 1812 when Napoleon placed an order for two complete sets of 120 figures each, representing the regiments of the 21st and 22nd Legers, the first bearing the figure of Empress Marie-Louise, the second bearing the figure of the Emperor. As this was the imperial couple's first birthday present to their son, the toy had to stand out from the other presents given by members of the imperial family and court. Goldsmith Jean-Baptiste ODIOT was commissioned to coat each of the 240 small 35mm-high lead figurines with gold, depicting the bust of a soldier wearing a shako and standing on a pedestal. The ranks are shown in black letters on the shakos, and the epaulettes of the soldiers and non-commissioned officers are painted red, those of the officers yellow. It was after the fall of the Empire that the little lead soldiers of the King of Rome experienced the vicissitudes of history. To enable them to pass from France to Austria so that they could be returned to the Aiglon while escaping Metternich's surveillance, the two sets were meticulously made up by a Nancy goldsmith, André GRAPIN. The gold plating was completely scraped off, all the distinctive imperial markings were removed and the whole set was repainted in the three colours of Marie-Louise's guard of honour in Parma: black, blue and red, the colours still visible on the figurines shown here. Under the Second Empire, the soldiers were returned to Napoleon III via the de Pierres family, related to the Metternichs. In September 1870, before fleeing the Tuileries, Empress Eugénie entrusted her first equerry, Baron de Pierres, with the complete set of the 22nd Léger. As for the soldiers of the 21st, to which the three figurines in the Fondation Napoléon belong, they were scattered among several hands. "