French school of the 19th century - Lot 28

French school of the 19th century L'Envol du 21 novembre 1783 à Paris - L'Envol du Flesselles le 19 janvier 1783 à Lyon Two rectangular miniatures painted on ivory, the first monogrammed "J. D. L." and pseudo-dated 1784, the second signed "C. Mazière" lower right. The first based on a 1783 engraving "Vue de la terrasse de Mr. Franklin à Passi, premier voyage aérien par M. Le Marquis d'Irlande et M. Pilatre des Rosiers, le 21 novembre 1783". In two chased ormolu frames, one with a ribboned pediment, the other with a laurel wreath. H. 9.2 x W. 5.7 cm (when viewed). H. 13 x W. 7.5 cm (frame) H. 8.6 x W. 5.3 cm (when viewed). H. 11.5 x W. 6.6 cm (frame) Gross weights: 101.8 g and 116.0 g. History - The first human flight on November 21, 1783 was performed by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes over Paris, seen here from the terrace of Benjamin Franklin's house in Passy. The legend on the miniature is misleading: Benjamin Franklin witnessed the first aerostatic experiments in Versailles and Paris, but he never flew. Following the success of his experiment with a rooster, sheep and duck in the cour d'honneur of the Château de Versailles on September 19, 1783, Etienne de Montgolfier joined the Réveillon royal wallpaper factory in Paris and planned to build a new balloon. As early as October 12, 1783, captive ascents were carried out at La Folie Titon with passengers, one of the first being Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier. The Marquis d'Arlandes became his teammate on October 19, 1783. Despite the reluctance of Louis XVI, who feared for the aeronauts' lives, the experiment was carried out at the Château de la Muette on November 21, 1783. The balloon flew over Passy, the hill of Chaillot, the Seine, the École Militaire, the Invalides, the church of Saint Sulpice, Luxembourg and the Barrière d'Italie. After a 26-minute flight, he landed at Butte aux Cailles. - In autumn 1783, Joseph-Michel de Montgolfier was invited to Lyon and appointed to the city's Academy, where Jacques Flesselles, intendant of the region, opened a subscription. In October 1783, the young Fontaine, a friend of the Montgolfier family, was entrusted with the manufacture of the balloon. The balloon took almost three months to build. Following the glory achieved in Paris by his first flight on November 21, 1783, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier moved to Lyon. The Flesselles was modified to repeat the first human flight in Lyon. On January 19, 1784, the Flesselles took to the skies over Lyon from the Place des Brotteaux with seven passengers: Joseph de Montgolfier, Pilâtre de Rozier, Prince Charles de Ligne, the Marquises de Laurencin and de Dampierre, the Comte de Laporte d'Anglefort and the young Fontaine. The balloon rose to a height of eight hundred meters, the mesh of the net broke and a tear in the envelope caused the fall. The ascent lasted 15 minutes. The aeronauts were brought back to Lyon, where the jubilant crowd gave them a triumphant welcome. CITES application in progress