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The Musée de l'Armée reborn
It is always a joy to see the completion of a long-term project. 20 March, 2010 will mark the end of a long period of renovation and restoration for one of France's grandest and most important museums: the Musée de l'Armée, at the Hôtel des Invalides.
Begun in 1996 with the launch of the ATHENA project, the first step was to create an entirely new exhibition space to hold the collection dedicated to the Second World War. The Early Mediaeval wing, with its multitude of weapons and armour dating from the 13th to the 17th centuries, followed as the first of the museum's departments to get a makeover. This was completed in December 2005.
Next, it was the turn of the Eastern Wing to close its doors. It is this section of the museum that makes its return next month, more attractive than ever and with new rooms and new displays. It is also here that the visitor can find the collections dedicated to the Napoleonic period.
This project of epic proportions deserves recognition for a number of reasons. The museum's interior architecture has undergone profound restructuring, which has made possible both the creation of new exhibition spaces and the renovation of existing wings. It has also enabled the museum staff to complete an intensely thorough restoration of the thousands upon thousands of objects housed in the museum's collections. And all of this without the museum ever closing its doors completely to visitors. The newly redesigned and renovated museum will finally be open in its entirety from 20 March, 2010.
We hope you enjoy your visit!
Emmanuelle Papot
Web editor
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NAPOLEONIC NEWS
Musée de l'Armée: reopening of the Second Empire wing
On 20 March, 2010, the Musée de l'Armée will reopen to the public the permanent collection displays situated in its Eastern Wing, which have been closed for refurbishment for four years. The wing covering the period between Louis XIV and Napoleon I (1943 - 1814) was reopened last year for the 2009 Nuit de Musées event, and with the reopening of the Cent-Jours to the Commune collections, the visitor will now be able to pursue their journey through French history. Of particular note is the cuirass, ripped apart by a cannon-ball, which belonged to Carabinier Fauveau who died at Waterloo, and the saddle used by Napoleon III at the Battle of Magenta.
For further information on the refurbishment project at the Musée de l'Armée, take a look at our May 2009 interview with Emilie Robbe.
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OBJET D'ART OF THE MONTH
A grateful Italy, by Vincenzo Vela
Vincenzo Vela, a Swiss sculptor of Italian origin, originally trained as an engraver before turning to sculpture. He quickly moved away from the neo-classical aesthetic espoused by the followers of Canova and instead looked to a 'truer' form of sculpture (what would become known as the Verismo movement). The leading light of the Naturalist school, he was to become the most famous Italian sculptor of the latter half of the 19th century. This allegorical sculpture, featuring France and Italy in female form, celebrates the liberation of Lombardy and France's role in the war of 1859. Presented to the Empress Eugénie in 1860, the statue is currently held in the Musée national du Château de Compiègne.
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WHAT'S ON
"Turner and the masters", Paris
After a stay at the Tate Britain, London, "Turner and the masters" arrives in Paris, where it will remain until 24 May, 2010. This exhibition places the masterpieces by Canaletto, Rubens, Rembrandt and Titian next to some of JMW Turner's most dramatic paintings. It shines light on a lesser-known side of the British Romantic painter: his obsession to prove he was just as good, if not better, than the old masters whom he so admired.
Featuring over one-hundred paintings, drawings and studies, taken from major collections in Britain, America, the Louvre and the Museo del Prado, the exhibition takes place at the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, in Paris.
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NAPOLEON.ORG
New biography: Honoré Charles Reille, 1775-1860
Between 1775 and his death in 1860, Honoré Charles Reille served in Italy, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Spain, in a military career that spanned nearly fifteen years. He was particularly active in Spain, where he fought under Maréchal Soult during the latter period of the Peninsular War, which saw the French driven out of Spain and back into France. He returned to Napoleon during the Cent-Jours in 1815 and fought at both Quatre-Bras and Waterloo. His service to his country saw him made a peer of France and a Maréchal.
200 YEARS AGO
The Franco-Bavarian treaty
On 28 February, 1810, the treaty between Bavaria and France was signed in Paris. The key articles saw Napoleon cede the Margraviate of Bayreuth and the Principality of Ratisbon to the Kingdom of Bavaria. In exchange, the French Emperor received the southern Tyrol region which was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. Bavaria also ceded certain Swabian territories to Baden, and some lands in Franconia to Württemberg.
The end of Napoleon's marriage to Josephine was cause of great concern for Maximilian I, King of Bavaria. Not only was it a personal matter - his daughter Augusta was married to Eugène de Beauharnais, who stood to lose his position as viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, should the union between Napoleon and Marie-Louise of Austria produce an heir - but any alliance between France and Austria could also have serious consequences for Bavaria, including possible Habsburg reprisals against the kingdom. These concerns, at least those regarding the inheritance of Maximilian's family, were appeased slightly by the creation of the Duchy of Frankfurt, a few days prior to the treaty, on 16 February, 1810. This duchy was initially granted to Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg, the former Archbishop of Mainz, but upon his death would pass to Eugène. Although the King of Bavaria gained 706,000 new subjects from the two treaties, he was also forced to give up 496,000 of his old ones. Rather than cementing any alliance, the treaty saw relations between Napoleon and Maximilian deteriorate.
Click here for our timeline on the Confederation of the Rhine.
150 YEARS AGO
Death of Honoré Charles Reille
On 4 March, 1860, Honoré Reille, Maréchal de France and a Comte d'Empire, passed away at the age of eighty-five. His biography is the latest addition to the biography section on napoleon.org.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks & Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 531, 26 February – 4 March, 2010
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.
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THE BIBLIOTHEQUE FONDATION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
Winter opening times:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 1pm-6pm
Thursday: 10am-3pm
(Closed Friday)
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 Musée de l'Armée in Paris receives roughly 1.1 million visitors every year.
The Fondation Napoléon's triumvirate of Napoleonic websites:
- Napoleon.org
- Napoleonica. La Revue
- Napoleonica. Archives Online
The best of the month:
- Book of the month
- Painting of the month
- Objet d'Art of the month
- Article of the month
MAGAZINE
Just published
- Napoléon et les Invalides: les Collections napoléoniennes du Musée de l'Armée (in French), edited by Jean-Marie Haussadis and Emilie Robbe
Press review
- "Nay! Ney (Double Ney)" play taking place in Salisbury, NC
- Napoleon Bonaparte inspires Tibi winter collection 2010
- The Art Newspaper: Musée de l'Armée wing reopens
EVENTS
On now
A selection of events taking place now or in the coming weeks, taken from our What's on listings.
Conferences
- "Fortresses: The study and management of military heritage: new approaches", Alessandria (Italy), 25 - 27 February, 2010
- Consortium on the Revolutionary Era, 1750-1850, Charleston 2010, Charleston (USA), 25 - 27 February, 2010
Exhibitions
- "Turner and the masters", Paris, France [24/02/2010 - 24/05/2010]
Full details
- "Charlotte Bonaparte, Dama di molto spirito: the romantic life of a princess artist", Rome, Italy [05/02/2010 - 18/04/2010]
Full details
- "L'Impossible Photographie, prisons parisiennes (1851-2010)", Paris, France [10/02/2010 - 04/07/2010]
Full details
- "Mathilde Bonaparte: a princess on the shores of Lac d'Enghien", Enghien-les-Bains, France [15/01/2010 - 15/04/2010]
Full details
- "Napoléon III et les Alpes-Maritimes", Nice, France [30/11/2009 - 30/06/2010]
Full details
- "Mito e Bellezzo", Lucca, Italy [06/12/2009 - 07/03/2010]
Full details
- "Coup de crayon à l'Empire", Waterloo, Belgium [23/09/2009 - 17/05/2010]
Full details<<
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