Page 268 - 4095-BOOK2

266
Bolivar was the 1st president of Colombia in 1819-1830
and simultaneously the 4th president of Peru in 1824-
1827, and 1st president of Bolivia in 1825. He worked to
solidify “Gran Colombia” which included both Colombia
and Venezuela as well as much of northern South
America and into Panama. He dreamed to unite the
former colonies in South America, but they remained
fractured and disputed with one another through much
of the 19th century.
In 1822, coincidentally the same year this fine historic
gun was made, Manuela Saenz, already an established
revolutionary figure, left her husband and traveled
to San Francisco de Quito where she met Bolivar and
became his mistress and continued her revolutionary
activities. In addition to being his romantic partner,
Saenz was a close ally and was trusted by Bolivar in his
absence. She worked to prevent the mutiny of the Third
Division in 1827 and was captured, imprisoned, and
exiled, but Saenz returned to Bolivar and aided him in
escaping an assassination attempt in 1828 during which
she was beaten but survived to be dubbed by Bolivar “La
Libertadora del Libertador” (Liberator of the Liberator).
She continued to work side by side with Bolivar to
attempt to hold the fractious republics together as plots
grew against him and conflicts raged.
In 1830, the year this cased set was presented, Bolivar’s
health was failing, and his vision of a united South
America was unraveling. Venezuela had seceded from
Gran Colombia, and there were calls for his banishment.
He retired and initially planned to head to Jamaica or
Europe. He made his final departure from Bogota on
May 8, 1830, and the presentation of this cased set
took place less than a month later and just days before
the June 4, 1830, assassination of his beloved friend
and successor General Antonio Jose de Sucre, the first
elected president of Bolivia. Sucre’s death led Bolivar
to remain in Colombia even as his health continued
to rapidly decline. Bolivar appears to have known
his remaining days were severely limited, but he was
called upon again to take the presidency following an
insurrection. He declined to take a position of authority
without being freely election. By his final months, the
famous Libertador had lost many of even his closest
allies, but among those who stayed loyal were two
English brothers: Richardo and Admiral Juan Illingworth.
Bolivar remained in contact with them after leaving
Bogota. He ultimately traveled to Santa Marta at the
invitation of a former Spanish officer yet failed to recover
his health and died from tuberculosis on December
17, 1830, eleven years to the day that the Republic of
Colombia (Gran Colombia) was proclaimed and Bolivar
was made its first president. Among those by his side
was Englishman Belford Hinton Wilson, son of then
British Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Wilson.
Richard Stonhewer Illingworth (1797-1884), known
in the Americas as Ricardo Illingworth, was a close
associate of Bolivar’s. Prior to his involvement in South
America, he worked in the British Army in 1812-1822 in
the pay office and commissariat department. In 1822,
he was employed by the British firm of Jones, Powles,
Hurry & Co. as their manager in Bogota, Colombia. John
Diston Powles had substantial investments in South
American mines and also bankrolled hundreds of British
mercenaries fighting in the region. His companies
purchased shares in mines sold by Bolivar, and in one of
Powles’s failed mining ventures, Bolivar was a partner
leaving him indebted to English creditors when Powles
went bankrupt in 1826. Illingworth, as the representative
for the firm in Bogota, was directly involved in these
business ventures and became a partner in Powles,
Illingworth & Co., and remained directly involved in
Bolivar’s financial affairs, particularly in Bolivar’s final
years and even thereafter as he settled debts.
By 1822, Illingworth’s older brother Admiral John William
Illingworth (1786-1853) (known as Juan Illingrot and
Juan Illingworth Hunt), a former British naval officer,
was already established in the region and an ally of
Bolivar. He had joined the Chilean Navy in 1817 and
helped Bolivar defeat the Spanish ships, receiving a
serious facial wound that led to him wearing a metal
plate and earning the nickname “Silver Face.” He became
a colonel in the Colombian Army in 1821 and won
multiple victories and then was appointed by Bolivar
as the Civil and Military Chief and Mayor of Guayaquil
in 1822 where he settled, started a family, and founded
a naval school. He was active in both land and naval
forces for many years thereafter in Peru, Colombia, and
Ecuador during periods of renewed conflict, including
conducting the expedition to Cartagena in 1826 and
fighting in Bolivar’s war with Peru in 1828. Bolivar noted
that “Illingworth is the most capable seafaring man we
have.” He is regarded as a National Hero of Ecuador.
The Lilly Library at Indiana University holds a collection
of Richard Illingworth’s business papers from 1816-1880
which provide some insights into the close relationship
with Bolivar. In “The Lilly Library from A to Z” by Darlene
J. Sadler, she notes that Bolivar in a letter to John
Illingworth on June 9, 1830, “expresses his friendship
and asks Illingworth to give the money from the sale
of a mule to Manuela Saenz, who was a colonel in the
revolutionary army as well as Bolivar’s companion and
love interest. Two months later, on August 2, 1830,
Bolivar wrote to Richard Illingworth, thanking him for
his efforts on an unspecified mission…” This mission
may have involved Bolivar’s initial plans to head to
Europe in 1830, especially given that in the same letter
Bolivar writes about traveling to England, but it may
have also been financial in nature. On June 1, 1830,
Richard Illingworth received the cased firearms from
Manuela Saenz, so these events took place around
the same time and were likely related to one another.
After Bolivar’s death, John Illingworth was notified of
his passing by Fernando Bolivar and a year later also
received a lock of Bolivar’s hair from Saenz which also
remains in the university’s collection. The presentation
of multiple valuable firearms along with the lock of hair
demonstrates a close relationship between Bolivar and
the Illingworths. While locks of hair are well-known to
have been exchanged between lovers, they were also
kept as tokens of esteem by dear friends and
family members.
As discussed in “Por Bolivar y La Gloria: La Asombrosa
Vida de Manuela Saenz” by Pamela S. Murray, by 1829,
Manuela Saenz was already actively fostering closer
ties with Bolivar’s allies, including the Illingworths. Both
brothers were by that time successful businessmen
and leaders of the British community in the region and
thus important allies. After Bolivar left, she remained
behind still struggling to keep things going and suffered
in Bolivar’s absence, especially after his death. She
continued to be actively involved in South American
affairs into the 1840s but spent much of her later years
obscure and impoverished. She left behind artifacts and
documents related to her time with Bolivar when she
died in 1856. The wealthy and connected Illingworths
fared far better though they were at times faced with
adversity due to their past work with Bolivar, including
John Illingworth being temporarily exiled from his ranch
in Peru. He was later a deputy in Congress in 1848.
Richard Illingworth returned to England and married in
1835. He remained active in ventures in South America,
including as an auditor and director of the St. John d’el
Rey Mining Company formed in 1830 which operated
gold mines in Brazil. He died in Hyde Park in 1884.
CONDITION: Very fine. The silver displays attractive aged
patina and stunning scenes and patterns throughout.
The locks retain much of the original case colors and
have bright gold inlaid markings, crisp engraving, some
light patina on the exteriors, bright interiors, and a loose
pan lining on the right lock. The barrels retain 90% of
the original brown finish, bright gold markings, most
of the gold accents, some slight oxidation, and minor
fading mostly at the muzzles and breeches. The stock
is also very fine and has crisp checkering and carving,
a few dents and scratches, and mostly minor age and
storage related wear. Mechanically functions. The relined
case is fine with some cracks, repairs, and mild age
and storage related wear. The accessories are generally
very good with only light wear for their age. This is an
incredible cased sporting gun in its own right yet its
ownership by the legendary Liberator, General Simon
Bolivar and presentation by his mistress Manuela Saenz
to his ally Richard Stonhewer Illingworth just months
before Bolivar’s death propels it to among the most
historic and desirable firearms brought to auction in
recent memory. This incredible treasure has been tucked
away in the Norman R. Blank Collection for 63 years
since it was acquired from his friend and leading antique
firearms authority W. Keith Neal in 1962. This is the last
Bolivar firearm known in private hands.
Provenance: From the Marquis de Lafayette to
General Don Simon Bolivar; Dona Mauela Saenz;
Ricardo Stonhewer Illingworth; By Descent to Charles
H. Illingworth; W. Keith Neal;
The Norman R. Blank Collection.
Estimate: 600,000 - 800,000