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In this week's letter...
We bring you a new object of the month, Josephine's punch bowl - perfect for the festive season! Then there are some First and Second Christmas recipes from the Bon Appetit! section of our website. We then have news of a planned re-enactment for 2013. This week's 200 Years Ago focusses on the entry of Alexander I into Vilna, whilst 150 Years Ago looks at revolts in French Indochina. On the right hand side there are links to Napoleonica seen on the web, including an article about the Emperor's palace in Venice and a review of a recent study of Britain during the Napoleonic wars.
Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
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Object of the Month
Josephine's Punch Bowl
The word "punch" comes from the Persian word for "five", so-called because the drink was composed of five elements: tea, sugar, rum or distilled spirit, cinnamon and lemon. The resulting mixture was put in a bowl, usually made of gold or porcelain, and served in tea-cups with special spoons. Every silver or vermeil table service would have a punch bowl, and Josephine's, produced by the goldsmith Martin-Guillaume Biennais, was no different. The punch bowl is gilt-silver, and comprises a large cup resting on a small bell-shaped pedestal, with a square base supported by feet in the form of an animal paw.
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Christmas Recipes
The nights are drawing in and it's cold outside (well, certainly in Paris!), so why not enjoy a taste of First and Second Empire Christmas by trying out these recipes for mince pies and rum punch (to put in your gilt punchbowl, perhaps?)
Discover more recipes here!
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Upcoming event...
2013 may still be a way off, but it's always good to be prepared, and that's why we're letting you know about the planned re-enactment at Bassenge in Belgium. The Napoleonic bivouac and battle re-enactment is planned for 16- 18 November, 2013, but the organisers are taking bookings now. Find out more here.
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200 Years Ago
The arrival of Alexander I on his tour of the town on 22 December, 1812, was marked by a rather unpleasant smell: “of putrefying flesh; the areas where the process of decomposition was taking place gave off a cadaverous stench” wrote Sir Robert Wilson, who had a privileged position inside the court of of the Tsar. The bodies of Napoleon's soldiers who had died of cold and illness had been piled up in mass graves outside the walls of Vilna. The clean-up of the town was to last weeks. Alexander I was not satisfied with his visit, even though he rode over French standards and was honoured with a ball thrown for him. Against the advice of Kutuzov, and frustrated at not having captured the French Emperor, he decided to pursue the rest of the Grande Armee into German Silesia. The commander in chief of the Russian army, who lay dying, declared on his death bed that ‘Russia would never forgive him' for his decision.
Napoleon's return from the Russian campaign had palpable consequences for certain parties. Chabrol de Volvic replaced Frochot as prefect of the Seine department on 23 December, 1812, as the latter had the misfortune of letting himself be hoodwinked by Malet into believing the Emperor was dead when the latter staged his coup. The Emperor never forgot this gaffe. The prefect was moved to the department of planning for Paris cemeteries and never again entered the political sphere.
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150 Years Ago
On 17 December 1862, there was rebellion in the recently acquired provinces of Vietnam against French colonists. The civil unrest followed the signing of the Treaty of Saigon on 5 June, 1862, which ceded large parts of Vietnam - the Bien Hoa, Gia Dinh and Din Tuong provinces - to French control, and marked the beginning of the development of Cochinchina, or French Indochina. The native revolt was rapidly put down, and the Treaty was fully ratified in April 1863.
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N0 651, 21 DECEMBER - 03 JANUARY, 2012
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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.
You can still donate online to the project via the Friends of the Fondation de France in the US here
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MAGAZINE
Just Published
- The Savage Storm, by David Andress
Seen on the web (external links)
- The Royal Palace in Venice, built by Napoleon has undergone a fantastic restoration.
- An article about Napoleon and the Hundred Days, by Giulia Delogu (in Italian)
Press review
-A review of David Andress' history of the Napoleonic wars, The Savage Storm.
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.
Exhibitions
- Des Aigles et des Hommes at the Chateau de Vincennes [28/11/2012-24/02/2013, Paris, France]
NAPOLEON.ORG
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- Objet d'Art of the month
- Article of the month
NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE
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