MILITARIA 661
A General Officer’s Mameluke sword and related Daguerreotype portrait appertaining to Deputy Commissary General Denzil Ibbetson, who accompanied Napoleon to St. Helena aboard the Northumberland and remained employed there until the ex-Emperor’s death - a period that witnessed him executing many notable portraits of the celebrated captive MAMELUKE PATTERN SWORD, 80 cm. plain curved blade with single fuller plain brass cross piece, and vecasso, double-sided ivory panels, cracked and chipped, remains of scarlet knot, contained in its (dented) steel scabbard, together with an early DAGUERREOTYPE portrait of Ibbetson in his Deputy Commissary General’s uniform, wearing the Military General Service Medal 1793-1814, by J. E. Mayall, 433 West Strand, circa 1850, in its original red leather carrying case with gilt decorated Mayall title to lid, the case somewhat damaged but the interior image, with gilt mount and glazed front, good £800-1200
J. E. Mayall moved to 433 West Strand in May 1847.
Denzil Ibbetson was born in July 1775 and entered the Commissariat Department as a Clerk in June 1808. Having then witnessed active service at Roleia and Vimiera in August of the same year, he was advanced to Deputy Assistant Commissary General in October 1810 and to Assistant Commissary General in December 1814, and was serving in the South of France when ordered to join the Northumberland, bound for St. Helena with Napoleon, in the following year. As stated above, he remained employed there until the ex-Emperor’s death, thus sharing the distinction of being one of only four British officers to have been stationed there throughout his captivity. The St. Helena’s Who’s Who continues:
‘For the first three years of his stay in St. Helena, Ibbetson had little to do with Longwood, for the purveyorship was in the hands of Balcombe, Fowler and Co.; but after the departure of Balcombe, Ibbetson assumed charge, and apparently performed his duties to the satisfaction of Lowe, for the Governor wrote a eulogistic letter afterwards.
But Ibbetson’s chief claim to distinction rests upon his ability as an artist. While on board the Northumberland he made sketches of Napoleon, many of which were in the collection of Mr. A. M. Broadley. Again, while in St. Helena, he did several portraits and sketches of Napoleon and his followers, notably the sketch of Napoleon on his death-bed, and before he was dressed in his uniform. For a full account of Ibbetson, see the excellent article by the late Mr. A. M. Broadley in The Century Magazine, April 1912.’
The same source adds:
‘This artist [Ibbetson] executed more portraits of Napoleon than any other, and his skill was of a higher order than all the rest, with the exception of Vidal. He drew numerous portraits of Napoleon while on board the Northumberland, and when in St. Helena. He also painted the well-known portrait of Napoleon after death, and before being dressed in uniform. He was responsible for the celebrated Five Heads portrait of Napoleon and his four companions, Las Cases, Bertrand, Montholon and Gourgaud. He also executed a very commendable painting of the Tomb. Many of the originals of these portraits were in the Broadley collection and other private hands. Indeed it is probable that Ibbetson was often applied to for a portrait, and made copies for that purpose.’
Ibbetson, who was advanced to Deputy Commissary General in September 1830, died in February 1857. Provenance:
Privately purchased in New Zealand by the current owner in 2008. On 29 June 2010, the auctioneers Art&Object of Auckland sold a collection of 40 items appertaining to Ibbetson, including some of his drawings and his St. Helena journal, a collection that had been brought to New Zealand by his son in 1864.
www.dnw.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253