Objects

The “grand cabinet” of his “grand appartement de représentation” [great reception apartment] was, in Napoleon’s eyes, the most important room in the Tuileries Palace. It was here that he held the Council of Ministers and received the oaths of the dignitaries and great officers of…

The figure of Napoleon is inseparable from his famous bicorn, accompanied by his no less famous grey “redingote” (a large frockcoat commonly known as his “greatcoat”). They made him more easily recognisable in the midst of his his caparisoned staff, decked with trimmings and golden braids.…

Of all the existing images of the Empress Eugenie, the photographs of her in prayer are the most iconic. This photographic portrait taken by Gustave le Gray  in the summer of 1856 for the painter Thomas Couture, was widely disseminated after it was taken. This wasn’t the first time the Empress was captured in prayer; the […]

There is one reality that hasn’t changed in over two hundred years: fashion comes and goes due to appearances (or lack of them) in fashion magazines. During the Empire, the one that was in the hands of all the women of the court was the Journal des dames et des modes (All the illustrations can […]

Dimensions: Height: 32.2 (closed ) / 32.2 (open ) / 31 ( Case) Width: 33.2 (open ) Diameter: 6.3 (closed ) / 5.1 (open ) / 4 ( Case) On binding  “DONNE PAR SA MAJESTE / L’EMPEREUR ET ROI / AU MARECHAL LANNES / DUC DE MONTEBELLO”  (“GIVEN BY HIS MAJESTY / EMPEROR AND KING […]

Waistcoat Technique: “Piqué” Dimensions: 62 cm long, 114 cm around the chest Trousers Technique: Casimire, a thin cotton or linen twill Dimensions: 79 cm long, 110 cm around the waist These trousers, called a culotte de casimir in French, are made of casimire, a thin cotton or linen twill, and are absolutely typical of the […]

The development of shooting societies in central Europe from the end of the 18th century saw the creation of painted targets destined for sporting competitions. Recently brought to light by the exhibition The Target: Croatian Painted Targets and Contemporary Art (Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, 20 December 2012 -21 March 2013), this […]

As part of the exhibition “Napoleon et l’Europe” in 2013*, the Musée de l’Armée in Paris displayed various objects and memorabilia associated with famous figures from the Napoleonic era. Among these objects was the uniform which belonged to Alexander I of Russia (Moscow, the Kremlin), another which was worn by Francis I of Austria (Vienna, […]