Lot 209: [BYRON, George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron (1788-1824)] -- Prince Clemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar

[BYRON, George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron (1788-1824)] -- Prince Clemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar von METTERNICH (1773-1859). Endorsement signed (with initial 'M'), n.p., n.d., on a wrapper enclosing a dossier in French relating to the death of Lord Byron, together 13 leaves, folio; together with an autograph endorsement signed, Vienna, 11 April 1853, on a wrapper lacking contents; the two wrappers numbered 'zu Num. 1261' and 'zu 1262'.

The first endorsement reads 'Report of the K.K. Consul Micarelli at Zante on 24 November 1824 relating to the demise of Lord Byron and the talismans carried by him'. The report, in French, gives first a translation of the scroll ('rouleau') which Lord Byron was carrying on his body: 'Le rouleau commence au milieu d'une conversation de Salomon avec Satan. L'écriture est très mauvaise et très incorrecte'; the text ends 'Le Maître et possesseur de ce Talisman est Ybrahim fils de Mustufa'; there follows a description of the seal with which Lord Byron's 'lettre' (presumably the preceding text) is sealed, which bears the name Edward Caitsford or Catchford and the date 1778.

The endorsement in Metternich's autograph relates to annexed documents (not present) concerning an ornamental chest found in Cannes, where, he notes, Napoleon landed in 1815 on his return from Elba. (2)

This lot will be subject to VAT at the rate of 17.5% on the buyer's premium only.