As befits a legend: building a tomb for Napoleon, 1840-1861

 
From the publishers:
One of the most important funerary monuments in Europe is the tomb of Napoleon, built in the Church of the Invalides in Paris between 1840 and 1861. As Befits a Legend is the first comprehensive examination of its construction process, historical context, and political and social meanings. It also is the only work published in English about this unique structure.
 
Michael Paul Driskel's study, based on extensive archival research in France, documents the problems inherent in building the appropriate monument for such a controversial figure and the public debate it generated.
 
Louis-Tullis Visconti, a major Parisian architect who was officially commissioned for the project, is the subject of intensive scrutiny to determine the nature of his personal contribution to the design, as well as his relationship with the many sculptors involved in the collective construction process.
 
As Befits a Legend bridges the disciplines of history and art history and features nearly one hundred photographs of 19th-centure statuary, drawings, and lithographs as complementary material to the text.