Miniature Portrait of an Identified Military Officer, with an Inscribed Silk Flag Fragment from the Battle of Jena (1806)

Early 19th century

Diam. approx. 2 1/4 in., framed to 4 1/2 x 4 3/4 in. 

Contemporary or near-contemporary wood frame; traces of earlier label 

WITH silk flag fragment from the Battle of Jena. Placed in frame behind portrait. Period inscription reading: "soie du / Drapeau sauve / a Jena / 14 Octobre 1806 / capitaino / Vincenzo Siciliani.” [Flag saved at Jena on 14 October 1806 by Captain Vincenzo Siciliani]. 

A striking round miniature portrait depicting a young-to-middle-aged male officer, likely Captain Vincenzo Siciliani, shown half-length, turned slightly to the viewer’s left, with dark curly hair and prominent sideburns. He wears a deep blue military coat with a high white standing collar and ornate bullion epaulettes. Suspended at the chest is a decoration on a red-and-blue ribbon, its pendant incorporating a crown and star-like device; the specific order or recognition has not been definitively identified.

The verso inscription, written in French but using the Corsican or Italian rank “Capitaino,” situates Vincenzo Siciliani plausibly within the transnational military culture of the Napoleonic era and most credibly within forces operating in France’s orbit (whether as part of the Grande Armée proper or within a French-aligned Italian or satellite contingent). 

The Battle of Jena (14 October 1806) was fought in Thuringia at the outset of the War of the Fourth Coalition between Napoleon and the forces of Frederick William III of Prussia. The battle was a decisive victory for the French that revealed the severe technological and tactical backwardness. The battlefield trophy would have been a treasured memento of triumph. 

[Art, Fine Art, Portrait Miniature, Paintings, 19th Century, French Revolution, France, Napoleon] 

Not examined out of frame