Vintage
Ratskunk unearths a fascinating, lesser-known connection between Abraham-Louis Breguet and Princess Constance de Salm, going beyond the familiar 1806 engraving. This deep dive into de Salm's 'Liber Amicorum' (Book of Friends) reveals new historical context for Breguet enthusiasts. Ratskunk's meticulous research highlights how this rare manuscript offers fresh insights into the watchmaker's social circle and the cultural milieu of early 19th-century Paris.
Breguet fans are familiar with the Ambroise Tardieu engraving “An evening with Princess Constance de Salm in 1806” (the engraving can be found in volume 2 of Complete Works of Madame Princess Constance de Salm, 1842) in which Abraham Breguet appears. Less well-known is Breguet’s appearance in Constance de Salm’s Liber Amicorum (Book of Friends 1809-1841).
The Book of Friends begins with a poem begging Constance de Salm’s legion of friends to contribute to the book which includes dedications, poetry, artwork, drawing, music etc. from the who’s-who of Paris.
"Venés amis, je vous appelle!
Sur mon album inscrivés vous!
d'une gloire toujours nouvelle, qu'il devienne un
titre pour vous!
dans un excès de modestie, gardés vous bien, je
vous en prie,
de m'affliger par un refus; Car ce livre qui nous
rassemble
Va nous faire rester ensemble, MĂŞme quand nous ne
serons plus […]
Ah! puissent des feuilles légères, Résister à la
faulx du temps,
Et de nos heures passagères, fixer quelques
heureux instants […]"
Abraham Breguet appears twice in the Book of Friends: page 272 Breguet makes a dedication to Constance de Salm in the form of a watch (I cannot read the writing, if anyone knows the inscription please let us know) and page 166 a portrait of Breguet by Lagrenée (the Book of Friends includes 29 portraits by François Lagrenée)
As mentioned A.-L. Breguet's appearance in the Constance de Salm’s Liber Amicorum seems to be not well-known; I'm no Breguet expert but I have never seen the Breguet tidbits from the Book of Friends mentioned in the Breguet literature but it seems unlikely the tidbits have never appeared somewhere in the literature (if any real Breguet historian knows of any such reference I will be grateful to know, thank you). The mystery of the Breguet tidbits may be explained by the fact that the Book of Fri
This thread is active on the Breguet forum with 2 replies. Share your knowledge with fellow collectors.
Join the Discussion →
