Pair of plates with Prince Józef Poniatowski

 A pair of plates with scenes of the death of Prince Józef Poniatowski, made in France in 1824-35 by the company Choisy-le-Roi belonging to Paillart & Hippolyte Hautin. The plates, a popular form of patriotic memorabilia, commemorated the life and death of Józef Poniatowski.

 The first presents a print with the classic scene of the Death of Prince Józef Poniatowski in the Elster river on 19th October 1813 (Mort du Prince Poniatowski Le 19 Octobre 1813). Poniatowski on a white horse, dressed in the uniform of the Duchy of Warsaw, jumps into the river. In the background you can see Polish and French soldiers who are also trying to cross the river, behind them a blown up bridge.

 The second plate shows the moment of finding the body of Prince Józef Poniatowski after the Battle of Leipzig in the Elster river. A group of mourning officers pulls his body out of the water (Le Corps du Prince Poniatowski retrouve dans l’Elster).

  The plates have numerous discolorations and traces of use in the form of scratches and chips (visible in the photos).