Objects : 132
-
ObjectBust of General Bonaparte
Effigies of Napoleon became more common after the successes of his first Italian campaign. The meeting between the sculptor Charles-Louis Corbet and the young general can be dated with certainty to sometime between 5 December, 1797 – the day Bonaparte returned to Paris – and 4 May, 1798 – the day he left for Egypt. This […]
-
ObjectGrand-croix insignia, believed to have belonged to Napoleon III
In 1979, the Prince and Princess Napoleon donated to the French state seventeen cases, eleven lined with moiré and blue silk velvet, and six in moiré and red silk velvet. The first eleven belonged to Napoleon III, while the other six belonged to the Prince Imperial. These cases, which themselves were once stored in three […]
-
ObjectPair of candelabra
After his appointment as King of Naples on 15 July, 1808, Prince Murat, grand duc de Berg, handed over to the French emperor (by means of a “convention particulière”, a private agreement) everything he owned in France. These belongings included, notably, the Elysée Palace, which Murat had bought in 1805 in a bid to live […]
-
ObjectQueen Hortense’s necklace, known as the "Gothic chain"
This piece of jewellery was most likely given by Hortense de Beauharnais to her niece, Amélie of Leuchtenberg (1812-1873) – daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais – probably on the occasion of her wedding to Pedro I, emperor of Brazil. Proclaimed emperor in 1822, Dom Pedro, who was also King of Portugal (as Pedro IV), first […]
-
ObjectCrimean War commemorative medal: "In honour of the allied armies"
The Crimean War, fought between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, saw the Sublime Porte's two principal allies during the conflict – Britain and France – unite in common purpose. It is this alliance, marked by victories achieved at Alma (20 September, 1854), Balaklava (25 October) and Inkermann (5 November) by the Franco-British Expeditionary Corps, that […]
-
ObjectNapoleon I’s nécessaire dentaire
Unusually for the period, Napoleon Bonaparte was very concerned with personal hygiene, and in particular his oral health and teeth, which were reputedly strong and white. Constant, his first valet, wrote in his memoirs that “for his teeth, he used a toothpick made from boxwood and a brush dipped in opiate”. Each of the nécessaires […]
-
ObjectBeer tankard decorated with Napoleonic scenes
After the death of Napoleon III, the empress Eugénie and the Prince Imperial spent their summers at the Château d'Arenenberg, on the banks of Lake Constance. Following the defeat, this “realm of memory” had become a hub for Bonapartists, a safe place where supporters could meet and commemorate the 15 August anniversary without fear of persecution. In […]
-
ObjectPortrait miniature of Jacques Prosper Masséna, Comte d’Essling and his brother François Victor
This miniature features Jacques Prosper and François Victor, the two sons of the illustrious general André Masséna (1758 – 1817). It was painted by one of the most talented and famous miniature artists of the time, Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin (1759 – 1832), who was from Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, and active in Paris from 1781 onwards. Nearly ten years after completing the […]
-
ObjectNapoleon’s petty Court cloak or "undress" cloak worn for his marriage to Marie-Louise
For the ceremony of his marriage to Marie-Louise, Napoleon’s robes comprised a suit and a short cloak made of embroidered purple velvet, very similar to the “undress” robes which the Emperor wore for the consecration and coronation ceremony [the “Sacre”] of 1804. The costume also included a black velvet bonnet decorated with diamonds – one […]
-
ObjectA Grateful Italy
Vincenzo Vela, a Swiss sculptor of Italian origin, originally trained as an engraver before turning to sculpture. He quickly moved away from the neo-classical aesthetic espoused by the followers of Canova and instead looked to a ‘truer’ form of sculpture (what would become the Verismo movement). The leading light of the Naturalist school, he was […]