Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte "Napoleonis Mater"

Charlotte Bonaparte, daughter of Joseph Bonaparte (brother of the French Emperor), painted this portrait, drawn from life, of her grandmother during a visit to the Palais Bonaparte in Rome. The portrait, one of the best examples of the imperial family, features the “mater Napoleonis” (mother of Napoleon) looking old and frail, having fractured her femur in 1831. Despite her disability and advanced years, she had lost none of her mental capacities, and was still very lucid and strong-willed. Her correspondence with the family (and in particular the young Louis-Napoleon, future Napoleon III) shows her to have been still very interested in the political events of the period, and she was to remain an important figure in the family during its time in exile.
 
Charlotte's portraits often lacked expression, which makes it all the more surprising to see in this little watercolour the skill with which the granddaughter depicts her grandmother's fragility whilst at the same time underlining her strength of character. The touch is especially delicate, particularly in the rendering of the lace on the night-dress and the fabric of her night-cap.
 
This drawing, which was never finished, was quickly converted into a lithograph, to which were added her clasped hands and the chair's hand-rests. Madame Mère gave her permission for the copy to be made on the condition that the inscription “Cadeau fait par la princesse Charlotte” (“Present given by Princess Charlotte”) was added and all proceeds from the lithography sale went to good causes.
 
The Fondation Napoléon would like to thank Giulia Gorgone, director of the Museo Napoleonico, for allowing the image and article, originally in Italian and published in the book Museo Napoleonico: Guida (Milan: Mondadori Electa S.P.A., 2008, p. 73), to be reproduced on napoleon.org.
 
Cristina Cannelli (tr. & ed. P.H. & H.D.W.)

November 2009