| |
|
|
|
|
| |
THIS MONTH'S OBJECT
Cabinet, by Levasseur
Built circa 1806-1807 for the "Prince of Peace", the famous Manuel Godoy (1767-1851), favorite of Charles IV king of Spain and his lover, the queen, this cabinet is very close in its structure to the works of Jacob-Desmalter, and presents rich incrustations, unusual in French cabinet making of the period. et présente de riches incrustations, inhabituelles dans le mobilier français de cette époque. It would appear that Godoy's exile when he followed the Spanish sovereigns into exile, prevented delivery and resulted in the work being held in Levasseur's workshop.
THE BICENTENARY CONCERT FOR NAPOLEON'S CORONATION
Taken from the texts published in the programme for the concert, this article brings you the event, in words and pictures (though not music!).
BIBLIOTHEQUE M.LAPEYRE CHRISTMAS CLOSURE
The library will close at 3pm on Thursday 23 December, to re-open again on Monday, 3
January, 2005.
The library is open to all four days a week, Monday, 1-6pm, Tuesday, 4-9pm, Wednesday 1-6pm
and Thursday 10am-3pm, at 148 Boulevard Haussmann, 75008 Paris
150 YEARS AGO
On 20 December, 1854, the French Minstry of Agriculture approved the project for the creation of an Institut Normal Agricole for the training of lecturers in agriculture.
200 YEARS AGO
18 December, 1804, the painter Jacques-Louis David was designated 'Premier Peintre de l'Empereur' (painter-in-chief to the emperor). He was commissioned to produce four grand paintings related to the ceremonies during and after the coronation. Only two were however to see the light of day: in 1807, the Coronation of Josephine (which everyone calls the Sacre de Napoléon!), and later in 1810 the oath of the army sworn to the emperor after the distributions of the eagle standards.
On the same day, the City of Paris invited the population to join in the celebrations for the coronation of Napoleon and Josephine: a lottery was organised whereby the 13,000 lucky winners would go home with... a chicken!
21 December, 1804, saw the birth in London of Benjamin Disraeli. Entering the Tory party in 1836 at the age of 32 he was to be elected the following year to the House of Commons as MP for Kent. He was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) in 1852, 1858 and 1859, and the Prime Minister in 1868. He is particularly known for his bills passed in the 1870s related to easing the working life of the poor, namely, the Artisans Dwellings Act (1875), the Pure Food and Drugs Act (1875), the Climbing Boys Act (1875), the Education Act (1876), notably limiting the working day in the mills to 10 hours (The Factory Act of 1874), granting the right to strike (Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act (1875)), and improving public health conditions (the Public Health Act (1875)). He was to be knighted in 1876 under the title of Lord Beaconsfield.
Not only a politician, Disraeli was also a very popular novelist. His best-selling works include: Vivian Grey (1826), The Young Duke (1831), Contarini Fleming (1832), Alroy (1833), Henrietta Temple (1837), Venetia (1837), Coningsby (1844), Sybil (1845), Tancred (1847), and finally Endymion (1880).
"The less you speak, the better (it is often the case) you think": on 23 December, 1804, was born the author of this 'bon mot', Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve, in Boulogne-sur-Mer. He was to lead a double career as a poet and a journalist/critic in the Globe, the Revue de Paris, the Revue des Deux-Mondes, the Constitutionnel, and the Moniteur, and was renowned for his no-punches-pulled portraits of the writer and artists of the period. Friend of (but later fell out with) Victor Hugo, close to Lamennais and Lacordaire, Saint-Beuve was made member of the Académie française (in the chair left vacant by the poet and playwright Casimir Delavigne). He was to die on 13 October, 1869, in Paris. His principle works were a Histoire de Port-Royal (1840-1862), his Critiques et portraits littéraires (1832-1839), his Causeries du Lundi (1851-1857) and his Nouveaux Lundis (1863). He also wrote a book on General Jomini (1869).
Wishing you an excellent, Napoleonic, week!
Peter Hicks
Historian and Web editor
Interested in the work of the Fondation Napoléon? Why not participate, either generally or
in a specific project, by making a donation.
© 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
THIS WEEK
Just Published
We here at napoleon.org have selected for you some Napoleonic books for Christmas.
Enjoy!
What's on
- Exhibition: James Gillray, New York Public Library, US
- Exhibition: Decoration in the Age of Napoleon: Empire Elegance Versus Regency Refinement,
New York Public Library, US
Exhibition: The Treasures of the Fondation Napoléon, Paris, France
- Exhibition: Images of the coronation of the Emperor Napoleon
The monthly titles
- This month's book: Wellington's Navy: Sea Power and the Pensinsular War 1807-1814, by C.
D. Hall
- This month's painting: Fair by a river, by Jean-Louis Demarne
- This month's article: 'The music at the coronation of Napoleon and Josephine', by H. K.
Peters
- In the Collectors Corner, Cabinet, by Levasseur
<<
|
|
