Napoleon I was a great traveller. Even when he was on military campaigns, the Emperor was accompanied by objects that were worthy of his rank. Every time he set up camp, he was accustomed to being surrounded by luxurious (foldable) furniture and sophisticated accessories. The Garde-Meuble Impérial, predecessor of the Mobilier National, was the guardian of these objects. The Maison de l’Empereur, for its part, was responsible for maintaining the proper habits and etiquette of the imperial palace. In order to prevent accidents while travelling, these costly and finely-crafted pieces of furniture and equipment that accompanied the Emperor on his travels were generally protected by specially-made transport cases, which were themselves also beautifully made. The furniture for Napoleon’s “bivouac” needed to combine both practical considerations (in order to withstand constant manipulation) as well as comfort and refinement with a corresponding choice of materials.
The exhibition Le Bivouac de Napoléon: luxe et ingéniosité en campagne (“Napoleon’s military camp: luxury and ingenuity, at war”), organised by the Mobilier National (in partenership with the Fondation Napoléon and the Palais Fesch of Ajaccio), is designed to give an idea of what the Emperor’s military camp would have looked like, especially through the installation of an authentic historic tent. It is part of the larger display L’esprit et la main : héritage et savoir-faire des ateliers du Mobilier national which opened at the Galerie des Gobelins in March 2015. This new display is inspired by two exhibitions which took place in 2014 (at the Musée des Beaux-arts d’Ajaccio and at the Galerie Demidoff on the island of Elba). It offers visitors the opportunity to discover a little known aspect of the daily life of the Emperor.
For this exhibition the Fondation Napoleon has lent a number of paintings and objects from its collection including Napoleon’s travel “nécessaire” and a portable writing case belonging to Maréchal Lannes given to him by Napoleon 1er.
Where:
Galerie des Gobelins
42 Avenue des Gobelins
75013 Paris
France
Opening hours:
11am-6pm Tuesday-Sunday, closed Monday
Price:
6€, 4€ reducued price
free to all on the last Sunday of the month.
Link (in English) to the exhibition on the website of the Mobilier National.
Langue(s) : French