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All of the articles bear the engraved ducal coat of arms of Duke Ernst Johann Biron. As early as 1734 Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, secretly offered the crown of Courland to Biron. However, Biron could take this appointment only in 1737, following the death of Duke Ferdinand, when the Courland nobility elected him as their new duke. Evidently this is when the Toilet Set was commissioned, since the coat of arms reflects this new status of the owner. |
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