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THE FONDATION NAPOLEON'S PRESTIGIOUS COLLECTION...
... contains more than one thousand objets d'art, paintings and other fascinating items, most of which were bequeathed by Martial Lapeyre, the industrialist, entrepreneur and history enthusiast behind the creation of the foundation. A number of those beautiful pieces of art will soon be on display to the general public, both in Paris and further afield. First up is the painting of Bonaparte and Berthier at the Battle of Marengo, by Robert Lefèvre, Carle Vernet, and Joseph Boze - our painting of the month - which will hang in the Modern History wing of the Musée de l'Armée until April next year. And down in the Principality of Monaco, the foundation is also participating in the upcoming exhibition, "Magnificence and Grandeur in Europe's Courts", which will feature twenty-three objects from the collection. And for those of you closer to London than the Côte d'Azur, on 7 July the National Army Museum is hosting the next in its lunchtime lectures, this time to be delivered by Carole Divall on "Crime and Punishment in Wellington's Army". This week we also have a few snippets of music to keep you occupied, with links to an Irish fiddle jig and a sympathetic a cappella retelling of Napoleon's fate to delight your ears. Finally we bring you news that the latest issue of the Napoleonic Historical Society's newsletter is out now, before we dip back into the pool of history, with 200 and 150 years ago.
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PAINTING OF THE MONTH
General Bonaparte and his chief of staff, general Berthier, at the Battle of Marengo, by Robert Lefèvre, Carle Vernet, and Joseph Boze
As part of the ongoing collaboration between the Musée de l'Armée and the Fondation Napoléon, the painting General Bonaparte and his chief of staff, General Berthier, at the Battle of Marengo - itself the product of a collaboration - will be on display in the Paris-based museum's Modern History wing until April 2012. This huge painting - which comes from the foundation's collection - was executed shortly after the battle and went on to become the subject of a violent quarrel that played out in the press between Joseph Boze and Robert Lefèvre. With both artists claiming authorship for the work - and the work of a third artist, Carle Vernet, equally apparent in some of the painting's brushwork - the dispute was never satisfactorily resolved.
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WHAT'S ON
"Magnificence and Grandeur in Europe's Courts", Monaco
To celebrate the wedding of HSH Prince Albert II to Miss Charlène Wittstock - a momentous occasion in the life of the Principality - the Grimaldi Forum's summer exhibition is "Magnificence and Grandeur in Europe's Courts", which runs from 11 July to 11 September, 2011. In this exhibition, the visitor will be guided through the life and times of twenty imperial and royal courts across Europe, including those of Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, Tsar Alexander II of Russia, and Emperor of the French, Napoleon Bonaparte. The Fondation Napoléon, a participating institution, has loaned twenty-three objects, including this month's highlighted objet d'art, a statuette of General Bonaparte on a dromedary camel.
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National Army Museum lunchtime lectures: "Crime and Punishment in Wellington's Army", by Carole Divall, London, UK
On 7 July, 2011, at 12.30pm, Carole Divall, author of Redcoats Against Napoleon: The 30th Regiment During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and Inside the Regiment: The Officers and Men of the 30th Regiment During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, will be delivering a talk entitled "Crime and Punishment in Wellington's Army" as part of the series of lunchtime lectures offered by the National Army Museum in London.
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SEEN ON THE WEB
And though at peace his limbs do rest, his name will never be forgot...: "A grand conversation with Napoleon"
As part of his "A Folk Song A Day" project, the musician Jon Boden tackled "A grand conversation with Napoleon" earlier this month. His website (external link) includes the a cappella rendition, the musician's musings on the song, and plenty of links for background reading on this 19th century English folk ballad. Interestingly enough, the portrayal of the French emperor remains sympathetic, offering the listener a gallant depiction of Napoleon which remains deeply rooted in the legendary retelling of events.
"Napoleon (or Boney) crossing the Alps"
Continuing the musical theme in this week's letter, and we bring you more folk, this time of a purely instrumental nature. The website archive.org features a short fiddle tune entitled "Napoleon (or Boney) crossing the Alps" (external link), performed by Jerald Franklin Archer. A jaunty, homeward march sort of tune, this traditional Irish jig was part of the syllabus in the ABRSM Grade 2 violin exams between 2005 and 2007. A flute and guitar version of the same song, variations of which are found in Canadian and American music traditions, can also be found here on YouTube (external link).
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NAPOLEONIC NEWS
NHS newsletter May-June 2011
The latest issue of the Napoleonic Historical Society's newsletter is out now and can be obtained by signing up via the society's website (external link). Amongst the different stories detailed in this edition can be found information on the society's upcoming annual conference, to be held at the Admiral Fell Inn in Baltimore, MD (USA), between 16 and 18 September, 2011. There are also a couple of book reviews, details of the exhibition "Of Elephants and Roses" currently on display at the APS Museum in Philadelphia, and a recap of recent events in history.
200 YEARS AGO
The price of peace
On 29 June, 1811, Count Montalivet, Napoleon's Interior Minister, presented his mid-year report on the state of the Empire to the Corps Législatif. Despite the continuing campaign in Spain, the table which accompanied the Moniteur's report of the speech (published on 1 July, 1811) detailed how expenditure on public works in Paris - which included the refurbishment and extension of the Musée Napoléon (today the Louvre) - had leapt from 22,330,753 francs in 1810 to 28,007,836 francs set aside for 1811. The remaining imperial départements, which now included the former Kingdom of Holland and Simplon (added on 13 December, 1810), had to make do with (a mere) 20,200,000 francs between them. At 132,231,000 francs, the total civilian works budget for 1811 dwarfed the military works budgets for that same year, with the Ministry of War allocated 22,670,000 francs, and the Navy Ministry forced to make do with just 7,000,000 francs for its ports and drainage works. Despite this apparent focus on the happiness of the empire's civilian population, Montalivet revealed that the imperial expansion, defensive works, and the endeavours of a government "not content [simply] to ensure this generation's happiness but [intent] on guaranteeing peace for posterity" to secure its borders had over the last eight years cost more than 100,000,000 francs.
150 YEARS AGO
Napoleon III recognises the Kingdom of Italy
On 27 June, 1861, three weeks after the death of Count Cavour and with an increasing number of nations across Europe recognising the fledgling Kingdom of Italy, Napoleon III finally and formally acknowledged the King's title, with Victor-Emmanuel II's ambassador extraordinary and Italian senator Count François Arese presenting the French emperor with the official legislative act on 2 July, 1861 at the Château de Fontainebleau. This acknowledgement came however with two reservations: Venetia, which was still an Austrian province and would stay that way until 1866, was obviously not included, and a French garrison - in place since 1849 - was to remain in Rome to guarantee the Pope's safety, despite Cavour's earlier declaration on 27 March that the city was to become the new kingdom's capital (see bulletin n° 575).
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks & Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 591, 1 - 7 JULY, 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...
MAGAZINE
Seen on the web (external links)
- "A grand conversation with Napoleon", by Jon Boden
- "Napoleon (or Boney) crossing the Alps", by Jerald Franklin Archer
- Napoleonic Wars Forum
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.
Talk
- National Army Museum lunchtime lectures: "Crime and Punishment in Wellington's Army", by Carole Divall, London, UK [07/07/2011]
Full details
Exhibitions
- "Magnificence and Grandeur of the Royal Houses in Europe", Monaco [11/07/2011 - 11/09/2011]
Full details
- "Of Elephants and Roses: Encounters with French Natural History, 1790–1830", Philadelphia, USA [25/03/2011 - 31/12/2011]
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
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