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ART...
... in all its many flavours is the primary focus of this week's letter. Two hundred years ago almost to the day, François-René de Chateaubriand was elected to the Institut. Our article of the month this time around - Jean-Paul Clément's "Chateaubriand and Napoleon" - takes a look at the complex relationship shared by France's famous litterateur and the French emperor. We also bring you details of a concert coming up at the Museo Glauco Lombardi, during which attendees will have the opportunity to hear Marie-Louise's very own fortepiano in action. There is also a reminder of the Fondation Napoléon's latest partnership - with First Empire magazine - and a link to the Mairie de Paris' digital portal cataloguing the many artworks contained in some of its most famous museums and galleries. You will also find further details on the Fondation Napoléon's upcoming study day, entitled "Napoleon and the family", plus 150 years ago, which this week charts the progress of three of Napoleon III's major urban projects for the French capital.
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ARTICLE OF THE MONTH
"Chateaubriand and Napoleon", by Jean-Paul Clément
Jean-Paul Clément's article "Chateaubriand and Napoleon" takes a look at the conflict-strewn relationship between these two great men of the long 19th century. Napoleon, determined to exploit Chateaubriand's literary genius as an adornment to his expansive empire, found in Chateaubriand an equally determined and at times difficult character to deal with. Chateaubriand's career, which took him from Paris to Jerusalem, resulted in works such as Génie du Christianisme, Atala, his celebrated Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe, and the infamous comparison of Napoleon to the Roman emperor Nero - much to the French emperor's annoyance - during his short-lived stewardship of the Mercure de France.
And on the French side, we have "La guerre d'Italie de 1859. Opérations navales en Méditerranée et en Adriatique" by Jean-Pierre Gomane.
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FONDATION NAPOLEON NEWS
Ateliers de la Fondation Napoléon: "Napoleon and the Family"
On 31 March, 2011, the Fondation Napoléon, in partnership with the Faculty of Law at the Université de Paris-Est Créteil, will be holding a study day on the theme of "Napoleon and the family". Over the course of the day, legal history specialists and historians will meet to converse on a variety of different subjects relating to the general theme and participate in a free exchange of ideas with the general public. Part of the Fondation Napoléon's "Ateliers" series, these study days present an opportunity for individuals from all backgrounds to meet and deliberate on a diverse range of Napoleonic subjects. Structured around short talks intended to incite debate and reflection, the goal of these days is to encourage debate and instructive discussion in an entirely relaxed setting. Although free, places for the event are limited and preregistration is essential.
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First Empire partnership
You will have noticed that the Fondation Napoléon recently agreed a partnership with First Empire magazine, a bimonthly international publication for the Napoleonic enthusiast, historian, and wargamer that has been going for over twenty years. Napoleon.org has already featured articles previously published in the magazine and this newly-agreed partnership will see a further exchange of material between the two organisations. Readers of the Fondation Napoléon weekly bulletin and users of the site can take advantage of a thirty percent discount on subscriptions to the magazine, obtained simply by quoting the code "FONDATION" at the checkout when signing up for a subscription on the First Empire website (external link).
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WHAT'S ON
Fortepiano concert, Museo Glauco Lombardi, Parma, Italy
Following the success of last year's musical events, the Museo Glauco Lombardi is organising a new series of concerts for violin, fortepiano, cello, guitar and voice. The fortepiano originally belonged to Marie-Louise and was fully restored in 2007. The series of concerts takes place between 19 February and 29 May, 2011. These concerts are not only a wonderful chance to hear this fabulous instrument being played, but are also the perfect opportunity to visit the museum. The first concert, which takes place tomorrow (19 February) at 11am, features Mihaela Costea on violin and Nobue Asami on fortepiano.
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SEEN ON THE WEB
Paris-based works of art on the web
Some of Paris' most famous museums and galleries now have an internet portal (external link in French) dedicated to their collections. Details and digital images of over 10,000 works of art can be accessed through the site, with a search engine capable of sorting the results by theme or by cultural institution. Some of the museums featured in the catalogue include the Musée Carnavalet (which holds the portrait of Juliette Récamier by Gérard), the Musée de la Vie Romantique and the Musée Galliera.
200 YEARS AGO
François-René de Chateaubriand elected to the Institut
After the death of Marie-Joseph Chenier in January 1811, a chair opened up on the Institut. Strongly encouraged to stand as a candidate for the position - Chateaubriand would later write in his memoirs that he received a letter from the Duc de Rovigo (Savary, Minister of Police) informing him if he did not offer his candidacy, he would spend the rest of his days "locked up at Vincennes [prison]" - he was elected by the narrow margin of thirteen votes to twelve on 20 February, 1811. Chateaubriand's relationship with Napoleon initially proved positive (the First Consul was particularly impressed by Génie du christianisme, an apology for Christianity published in 1802 which followed so soon after the Concordat with the Catholic Church) but was to be marked by disagreements and fits of anger. Chateaubriand's diplomatic posts to the Holy See and Switzerland were short-lived, and his distinctly unfavourable comparison of Napoleon to the Roman emperor Nero in the Mercure led to his being dispossessed of the paper in 1807. His ties to the Royalist movement (his mistress, Natalie de Noailles, was an avowed royalist) did little to help matters.
Their relationship is however perhaps best summed up by Madame de Chastenay: "The talent of Monsieur de Chateaubriand continued to be the subject of rare predilection for the Emperor [; he] never lost sight of the desire and wish to use him to adorn his reign, and fleeting instances of persecution on his part were never anything other than fits of pique."
150 YEARS AGO
The changing face of France's capital
Between 18 and 24 February, 1861, the Moniteur Universel was awash with news of further additions to Napoleon III's period-defining urban planning projects for the city of Paris. Top of the list was the news on 24 February that workers had begun to tear down some of the oldest parts of Paris, the mediaeval centre on the south bank of the Seine, in preparation for the installation of the middle stretch of road that would become Boulevard Saint-Germain, one of Haussmann's grandest additions to the French capital (see bulletin n° 524). The boulevard, which today stretches over three kilometres between Quai Saint Bernard and Quai Anatole France and whose construction would also result in the infamous Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Près prison being demolished, was completed in three stages: although actually begun in 1855, the final span was only completed after the fall of the Second Empire, during the Third Republic. Elsewhere, the 22 February edition of the Moniteur reported on the surprisingly delicate project to plant trees of the same species (in order to avoid the unsightly "ill-assorted effect" caused by mixing genuses) along Paris' major boulevards. Planned in minute detail (the trees had to be between ten and fifteen years old and eight and ten metres tall), the boulevards between rue Royale Saint-Honoré and Porte Saint-Denis were declared finished as Napoleon III's plans to endow Paris with green spaces ('lungs' allowing her to breathe, based on the London model) continued apace. And just along from Saint-Honoré, the competition for the new Opera house (see bulletin n° 539) began to hot up as details of the jury's deliberation were released - a tradition that continues today across Europe (in France a competition is actually compulsory for publically-funded construction projects over a certain sum) - to the Moniteur Universel (also 22 February, 1861). Although none of the proposals was considered complete enough to decide an overall winner, the jury highlighted five projects (out of an initial 171 candidates who had submitted designs) it considered worthy of recognition. Charles Garnier's project, which would eventually be selected, squeezed through in fifth place. Further work would clearly be needed before the laying of the Opera Garnier's first stone, on 21 July, 1862.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks & Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 572, 18 - 24 February, 2011
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© This Napoleon.org weekly bulletin is published by the Fondation Napoléon. Reproduction or all or part of this bulletin is forbidden, without prior agreement of the Fondation Napoléon.
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OPERATION ST HELENA
The Fondation Napoléon and the Souvenir Napoléonien, in association with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have announced an international fund-raising campaign to restore and save Napoleon I's residence on the island of St Helena. All the details regarding the campaign as well as donation forms and advice for donating from outside France, can be found on napoleon.org.
FONDATION NAPOLEON ON THE WEB
Each week we offer you a "mystery" link to somewhere on napoleon.org. Click on the link to discover a part of the website you might not have visited before...
STATISTIC OF THE WEEK
The Mairie de Paris' new digital catalogue contains the details of some 10,433 works of art on display or held in Parisian museums.
MAGAZINE
Press review
- Book review: Liberal Intellectuals and Public Culture in Modern Britain, 1815-1914: Making Words Flesh
SEEN ON THE WEB (external links)
- Parisian works of art on the web
EVENTS
On now and coming up
A selection of events taking place now or in the coming weeks, taken from our What's on listings.
Concerts
- Fortepiano concert, Parma, Italy [19/02/2011]
Full details
Study days
- Ateliers de la Fondation Napoléon: "Napoleon and the family", La Courneuve, France [31/03/2011]
Full details
And ending soon...
- "High Society: Mind-Altering Drugs in History and Culture", London, UK [11/11/2010 - 27/02/2011]
Full details
- "L'heure, le feu, la lumière (1800-1870)", Paris, France [21/09/2010 - 27/02/2011]
Full details
NAPOLEON.ORG
The best of the month:
- Book of the month
- Painting of the month
- Objet d'Art of the month
- Article of the month
NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE
Available free on Cairn.info
NAPOLEONICA ARCHIVES ONLINE
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