BERTHIER LOUIS-ALEXANDRE: (1753-1815) Marshal of France, Prince of Neuchatel. Chief of Staff under Napoleon. An ...

BERTHIER LOUIS-ALEXANDRE: (1753-1815) Marshal of France, Prince of Neuchatel. Chief of Staff under Napoleon. An exceptional vignette D.S., `Alex Berthier´, one page, large folio, Milan headquarters, 31st July 1797, to the administrators of the French departments, in French. The partially printed document bears an exceptional and large vignette to the heading. The vignette was created by Andrea Appiani for Alexandre Berthier as General of Division and Chief of the Headquarters of the Army of Italy, one of the most spectacular and appreciated vignettes of the Napoleon era. Bearing to the heading the printed text ''Armée D´Italie - Republique Française - Liberté - Egalité''. The document states in part `I send you attached the detailed report of the events occurred in all Military divisions of the Army of Italy on the 26th Messidor anniversary of the 14th July 1789. Let all Citizens know that at same time and in all parts of the Army, the same wish, the same shout has been listened to, and this cry has been ''Relentless war against the Royalists, and inviolable loyalty to the Republican Government and to the Constitution of the year Three''. The department the present document was sent to seems to have been erased. Lightly affixed to a larger sheet of paper. Overall age wear mostly to edges, with creasing and very small tears to edges. Few small repairs to the verso. About G Andrea Appiani (1754-1817) Italian neoclassical Painter. Appiani was full of joy when Napoleon freed Lombardy from Austrian occupancy and returned freedom to Italy and again when his vignettes were chosen and appreciated for the use of French different military documents headings and he was appointed court painter. Although created a pensioned artist to the Kingdom of Italy by Napoleon, Appiani lost his allowance after the fall of the Kingdom in 1814 and fell into poverty. During his period as court painter he rendered portraits of Napoleon and the chief personages of his regime, among the most graceful of which are his oil paintings Venus and Love, and Rinaldo in the garden of Armida.