"Napoléon, Révolution to Empire" @ the National Gallery of Victoria

1 juin 2012

"Napoléon, Révolution to Empire" @ the National Gallery of Victoria

Jacques-Louis DAVID (French 1748-1825), Napoleon, crowned (Napoléon, tête couronnée) (1807), oil on wood , 43.5 x 36.1 cm . Fondation Dosne-Thiers (Institut de France), Paris. Bequest of Frédéric Masson, 1923 © RMN - Franck Raux

MELBOURNE.- On 2 June 2012 the National Gallery of Victoria will open this year’s spectacular Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition, Napoleon: Revolution to Empire.

Premier and Minister for the Arts Ted Baillieu said: “Now a well-established highlight of our major events calendar, the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series has set the benchmark for blockbuster exhibitions in this country. I'm pleased to welcome the latest instalment - Napoleon: Revolution to Empire. Through hundreds of priceless treasures, never before seen in Australia, this exhibition brings to life the legend one of history’s most extraordinary and complex figures. It's another great Melbourne exclusive, another tourism drawcard for Victoria and another stunning exhibition for the NGV.”

This panoramic exhibition features nearly 300 works, examining French art, culture and life from the 1770s to the 1820s and includes objects of breathtaking opulence and luxury – from paintings, drawings, engravings, sculpture, furniture, militaria, textiles, porcelain, gold and silver, fashion and jewellery.

Dr Gerard Vaughan, Director NGV, said: “Napoleon: Revolution to Empire continues the tradition of spectacular NGV exhibitions which have become a winter highlight in Victoria’s cultural calendar.

“This year visitors will be intrigued by the life of Napoleon, a man who held the world captive to his ambition. He had a vision of a united Europe, but a Europe controlled by France and united through conquest. Napoleon is well known as a master military strategist; this exhibition reveals that he was also a passionate lover and dedicated patron of the arts, sciences and literature.”

Napoleon: Revolution to Empire explores, amongst other themes, the stormy period of social change forced upon France through the outbreak of the French Revolution, the execution of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, and the rise to power of the young Napoleon Bonaparte and his new wife Josephine, as the couple worked to cement their place as France’s new political and social leaders.

Ted Gott, Senior Curator International Art, NGV said: “World leaders in the Age of Exploration, Napoleon and Josephine were a true power couple- famous and stylish.

“The stunning artworks and objects in this exhibition illustrate their belief that the advancement of knowledge was integral to social order; they welcomed scientists and artists to receptions and dinners where world affairs were reshaped under their rule.”

Personal items will give visitors a glimpse into an extravagant private world of the couple. Jewels owned by Josephine, Napoleon’s personal weapons, lavish furniture from private residences and a lock of Napoleon’s hair feature alongside spectacular decorative objects, bejewelled gifts given to dignitaries, military uniforms and a beautiful court dress- the only surviving garment worn at Napoleon’s coronation ceremony in 1804.

Napoleon: Revolution to Empire also considers the enormous cultural and scientific contact between Australia and France from the 1770s to the 1820s. This is a story that is not often told.

Both Napoleon and Josephine were captivated by Australia, which had newly entered the world’s imagination following the publication of Captain Cook’s travels. The exhibition tells the story of how this fascination spurred Napoleon to fund a voyage in 1805 that collected information about the continent and produced the first map of the southern Australian coastline with the land we now know as Victoria, but which was at the time first named Terre Napoléon (Napoleon Land).

French voyages to Australia returned with collection’s of Australian flora and fauna, much specifically earmarked for the hothouses and enclosures of Napoleon and Josephine’s country residence Malmaison. Captivating works in the exhibition show kangaroos, black swans and a range of native Australian plants in the grounds of this quintessentially French estate.

Revolution to Empire

The eighteenth century brought radical change to Western civilization, most especially in France where the impetus for change came from a number of sources: a growing over-taxed, powerless middle class; an impoverished lower class (the majority of the population comprising peasants and workers); and an intelligentsia who sought to redefine the understanding of human nature and society based on reason (their deliberations constitute the Enlightenment).

Growing discontent resulted in the Storming of the Bastille on July 14 1789 and subsequent overthrow of the Monarchy. Feudal rule gave way to government by Constitution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

Following the Revolution, the newly formed succession of governments needed to demonstrate a break with the past by establishing a new visual language that would signal the ideals of the new order. They looked to Ancient Rome whose republican values provided austere and elegant examples applicable to posters and porcelain, furniture and fashion.

Jean-Antoine HOUDON, Voltaire 1778, bronze, 44.7 x 20.7 x 21.7 cm (overall). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Felton Bequest, 1939, 4427-D3

Jean-Antoine HOUDON, Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1778, plaster, 45.6 x 21.9 x 25.0 cm (overall)? National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Everard Studley Miller Bequest, 1972. E2-1972

PAINTERS OF THE CABINET DU ROI. Élisabeth Louise VIGÉE-LE BRUN (after), Queen Marie-Antoinette (1755-1793) in a hoop skirt dress (La reine Marie-Antoinette (1755-1793) en robe à paniers (after 1778), oil on canvas, 223.0 x 158.0 cm. Versailles, musée national du château (MV 3892) © RMN (Château de Versailles) - Gérard Blot

MANUFACTURE DE SÈVRES (manufacturer). France est. 1756. Jean-Jacques LAGRENÉE, the younger (decorator), France 1739-1821, Nipple-cup known as the Breast bowl (Jatte-téton, dite bol sein) (1788), porcelain (hard-paste), 12.5 x 12.2 x 13.3cm. Sèvres Cité de la Céramique (inv. MNC 23400) © RMN (Sèvres, Citè de la cèramique) - Martine Beck-Coppola

This ‘breast bowl’ is one of a set of four ordered by Louis XVI for Marie-Antoinette’s Laiterie or dairy, a place to connect with nature and escape the restrictions of court manners.

The storming of the Bastille prison and the arrest of its governor, Bernard-René de Launay, 14 July 1789 (Prise de la Bastille et arrestation du gouverneur M. de Launay, le 14 juillet 1789) (1789), oil on canvas, 57.0 x 73.0 cm . Versailles, musée national du château (MV 5517) © RMN (Château de Versailles) - Gérard Blot

Pierre-Nicolas LEGRAND de SÉRANT, French (1758) -1829. Joseph Cange, clerk of the Saint-Lazare Prison, Paris (Joseph Cange, commissionaire de la prison Saint-Lazare à Paris) 1794, oil on canvas, 70.0 x 56.0 cm. Musée de la Révolution française, Vizille, Isère. Purchased in 1989 with the aid of the State and the Région Rhône-Alpes (Region museums acquisition funds) (MRF 1989-11)

Jean François SABLET, Portrait of a revolutionary (1794) , oil on wood panel, (64.5 x 54.9 cm). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased with funds donated by Andrew Sisson, 2010. 2010.514

Jacques-Louis DAVID (studio of), The death of Marat (La Mort de Marat) 1793, oil on canvas, 92.0 x 73.0 cm. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon. Bequest of Jules Maciet, 1911 (inv. 2306). On loan to the Musée de la Révolution française, Vizille (inv. MRF D 2006-3). Photo: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon

Jean-Jacques HAUER, French (1751-1829). Louis XVI farewelling his family, 20 January 1793 (Les adieus de Louis XVI à sa famille, 20 janvier 1793) 1794, oil on canvas, 53.0 x 46.0 cm. Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris, France. Gift of Madame Bedeaux Charles, 1961 (inv. P. 1988). © Musée Carnavalet / Roger-Viollet

Joseph COTEAU (enameller), French 1740-1801. Skeleton clock (Pendule squelette) c.1793-95, gilt and enamelled bronze (chased), marble, 43.0 x 26.0 x 14.0 cm. Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Donation Lapeyre (inv. 809) © Fondation Napoléon – Patrice Maurin Berthier

The Skeleton clock features the new Revolutionary calendar instituted on 2 January 1792. Time was divided into decimal increments and months divided into three ten-day weeks.

Joseph Coteau was known as a leading enamellist and creator of the finest French clocks - intricate enamel work and detail were a characteristic feature of his work. The round white enamel faces of this Skeleton clock show the hours and minutes, and numerals one to thirty show the days of the month. The centre reveals the sophisticated inner bronze mechanism

Antoine-Jean GROS, French 1771-1835. General Bonaparte at the Bridge of Arcole on 17 November 1796 (Le général Bonaparte sur le pont d’Arcole, 17. novembre 1796) 1796, oil on canvas, 130.0 x 94.0 cm. Napoleonmuseum Thurgau, Schloss und Park Arenenberg, Salenstein. Collection of Queen Hortense

Art & Design

Alongside its biographical trajectory of Napoleon’s life, Napoleon: Revolution to Empire is a full examination of the remarkable changes in iconography and visual expression that occurred in the fine and decorative arts in France from 1789 to 1815. The Revolutionary era saw the elegant decoration of the age of Louis XVI replaced with symbols of liberation and political commitment. The Consular style shed these Revolutionary symbols, adopting a taste for more lavish classical ornament. The Empire style, recognised as beginning with Napoleon’s proclamation of himself as Emperor in mid 1804, continued to combine references drawn from the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome with newly fashionable Egyptian imagery.

MANUFACTURE DE SÈVRES (manufacturer) France est. 1756, Alexandre BRACHARD, the younger (French 1775-1843), Baron François-Joseph BOSIO (after),. Bust of the Empress Josephine (Buste de l'impératrice Joséphine) 1809, porcelain (hard-paste), 53.0 x 34.0 x 19.0 cm. Sèvres Cité de la Céramique, Paris (inv. MNC 3564). Long term loan to Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison & Bois-Préau, Rueil-Malmaison (inv. M.M.D.63) © RMN - Daniel Arnaudet

FRANCE. Model for an armchair (Modèle pour un fauteuil) (c. 1792-93), painted and gilt Beech (Fagus sp.), silk, 56.5 x 34.6 x 33.5 cm. Les Arts Décoratifs, musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris. Gift of Mr Mamelsdorf, 1951 (inv. 36333). Photo: Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris - Jean Tholance

This model of an armchair, made during the time of the National Convention in France, uses numerous symbols of the Revolution: the red Phrygian cap, the fasces, the tricolour-striped fabric and the lyre – a symbol of harmony, wisdom and moderation.

JACOB FRÈRES (attributed to) (manufacturer) (France 1796-1803), Curule armchair (Fauteuil Curule) Directory period (1795-99). Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), 94.0 x 63.5 x 46.0 cm. Les Arts Décoratifs, musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris. On deposit from the Mobilier National, Paris (inv. MOB NAT GME 5257). Photo: Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris / Jean Tholance

MANUFACTURE DE SÈVRES (manufacturer) (France est. 1756), Etruscan-style goblet and saucer (Tasse à pied, figure étrusque et soucoupe) 1793-95, porcelain, (a) 8.0 x 8.2 cm diameter (goblet); (b) 16.5 cm diameter (saucer). Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris, France (inv. C 1912) © Musée Carnavalet / Denis Svartz / Roger-Viollet

Charles-Eloi ASSELIN (French 1743-1804), Design and decoration for a cup and saucer, called Conical cup with two handles (Éléments décoratifs, Tasse et soucoupe, appelé Tasse Conique à deux anses) (1802), watercolour and pen and ink, 29.5 x 18.5 cm. Sèvres Cité de la Céramique, Paris (inv. 2011.3.1097) © RMN (Sèvres, Cité de la céramique) - Martine Beck-Coppola

JACOB FRÈRES (attributed to) (manufacturer), France 1796-1803. Charles PERCIER (after) (designer). Gondola armchair from Madame Bonaparte’s boudoir at Saint-Cloud Palace (Fauteuil gondole du boudoir de Madame Bonaparte au château de Saint-Cloud) (1802), gilt and painted Beech (Fagus sp.) and Walnut (Juglans sp.), velvet, gold thread, 77.0 x 51.0 x 66.0 cm. Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison & Bois-Préau, Rueil-Malmaison (inv. MM 40.47.942) on deposit from the Mobilier National, Paris (inv. GMT 1504) © Photo RMN - Droits réservés

FRANCE. Bed (Lit) Empire period 1804-15. Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), gilt bronze, 135.0 x 202.0 cm. Les Arts Décoratifs, musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris. (inv. 8584). Photo: Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris – Jean Tholance

MAISON GRAND FRÈRES, Lyon (manufacturer) (France active 1800-10), Alexandre BROGNIART (decorator) (France 1770-1847), Hanging for the Emperor’s Premier Salon at the Palais de Meudon (Tissu pour le Premier Salon de l'Empereur au Palais de Meudon) 1808-09 (detail), damask, 140.0 x 54.0 cm. Mobilier National, Paris (inv. GMTC 99/1) © Photo RMN - Christian Jean

MANUFACTURE DE SÈVRES (manufacturer) (France est. 1756), Egyptian inkwell (Encrier égyptien) (1802). porcelain (patinated and gilt), 22.0 x 26.0 cm. Sèvres Cité de la Céramique, Paris. (inv. MNC 2648) © Photo RMN - Christian Jean

Andre-Antoine RAVRIO (attributed to) (French 1759-1814), Love led by Fidelity, clock (Pendule: L'Amour conduit par la Fidélité) (c. 1805). The chariot of Love led by Fidelity, clock (Pendule: Le char de l'Amour conduit par la Fidélité) (c. 1805), gilt bronze, enamel, marble, 52.0 x 52.0 x 17.0 cm. Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Donation Lapeyre (inv. 488) © Fondation Napoléon – Patrice Maurin Berthier

MANUFACTURE DE SÈVRES (manufacturer) (France est. 1756), Pierre-Philippe THOMIRE (goldsmith) (French 1751-1843), The Emperor in coronation robes, after Gérard, tapered spindle vase, 2nd size (Vase fuseau, 2me grandeur: L’Empereur en costume de sacre d’après Gérard) 1812 (recto), porcelain (hard-paste), gilt bronze, 54.5 cm height. Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Acquisition 2002 (inv. 1165) © Fondation Napoléon – Patrice Maurin Berthier

FRANCE. Court dress and train of Mme Bérenger, worn on the day of Napoleon’s coronation (Robe et traîne de cour de Mme Bérenger portée le jour du sacre de Napoléon) 1804, velvet, gold-embroidered silk tulle, satin. Collection of Pierre Patrick Kaltenbach (Direct descendent of Mme Bérenger, who was the daughter-in-law of a Protestant Desert Father, Jean Bérenger, The Dove) © Fondation Napoléon - Patrice Maurin Berthier

MANUFACTURE DE SÈVRES (manufacturer) (France est. 1756), Imperial hunting tea service (Cabaret des chasses impériales) 1812, porcelain (hard-paste), silver-gilt, Morocco leather, 20.0 x 49.0 x 40.0 cm (overall) (closed). Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Donation Lapeyre (inv. 93) © Fondation Napoléon – Patrice Maurin Berthier

MANUFACTURE DES GOBELINS, Paris (manufacturer) (France est. 1662), Gioacchino SERANGELI (after), Napoleon receiving the deputies of the Army in the Louvre after his coronation, 8 December 1804 (Napoléon reçoit au Louvre les députés de l’armée après son couronnement le 8/12/1804) 1809-15, wool, silk, (haute lisse), 335.0 x 195.0 cm. Mobilier national, Paris. (inv. GMTT 250) © Mobilier national - Pierre Langlois

Jacques-Louis DAVID (French 1748-1825), Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul, crossing the Alps at Great St Bernard Pass, 20 May 1800 (Bonaparte, Premier Consul, franchissant les Alpes, au mont Saint-Bernard, le 20 mai 1800) 1803, oil on canvas, 267.5 x 223.0 cm. Versailles, musée national du château (MV 8550) © RMN (Château de Versailles) - Franck Raux

James QUINN; Jacques-Louis DAVID (after), Madame Récamier (c. 1895) , oil on canvas, 175.2 x 243.8 cm. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Presented by the artist under the terms of the National Gallery of Victoria Travelling Scholarship, 1895

Innocent-Louis GOUBAUD (French 1780-1847), Allegory of the glory of His Majesty the Emperor (Dessin allégorique à la gloire de S. M. l’Empereur) 1811, pencil, 71.1 x 57.5 cm. Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Acquisition, 1992 (inv. 21) © Fondation Napoléon - Patrice Maurin Berthier

Napoleon & Josephine

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was something of an outsider in France, having been born into a noble family of Italian ancestry on the French-ruled island of Corsica. Trained within the ranks of the French Royal and subsequently French Revolutionary Army, Napoleon rose to power on the back of civil unrest that broke out in Paris following the Reign of Terror (1793-94). His future wife Josephine (1763-1814), whom he married in 1796, was also an outsider, being of Creole background, a member of a French plantation dynasty based in Martinique. Josephine’s first husband, a member of the aristocracy, was guillotined during the French Revolution, leaving her a single mother with two small children to support. Her meeting with the young military officer Bonaparte brought her security, she in turn offered her new husband an elegant and refined social life.

FRANCE . Jean-Baptiste ISABEY (after), Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul, in the gardens of Malmaison (Napoléon Bonaparte comme Premier Consul dans les jardins de Malmaison) (1804), coloured engraving, 67.0 x 46.4 cm. Napoleonmuseum Thurgau, Schloss und Park Arenenberg, Salenstein. Acquisition 1975

FRANCE. The Napoleonic Code (Code Napoléon) 1810, published by Imprimerie Impériale, Paris; book: letterpress, gold embossed Morocco leather cover, stitched binding; 27.0 x 21.5 x 6.5 cm (closed). Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Donation Lapeyre (inv. B. 5710) © Fondation Napoléon – Patrice Maurin Berthier

Augustus EARLE (English 1793-1838, worked in Australia 1825-28), Napoleon’s tomb on the island of Saint Helena (c. 1829), watercolour, 26.7 x 42.9 cm. National Library of Australia, Canberra. Rex Nan Kivell Collection (NK12/142.). Photo: National Library of Australia

Jean-Baptiste REGNAULT (French 1754-1829), Empress Josephine (Portrait de l’impératrice Joséphine) (c. 1810), oil on canvas , 59.4 x 46.8 cm. Fondation Dosne-Thiers (Institut de France), Paris. Bequest of Frédéric Masson, 1923 (inv. 0048/T.186) © RMN - Franck Raux

FRANCE. The kangaroos at Malmaison (Les cangourons à la Malmaison) (before 1814), etching, 23.7 x 31.3 cm. Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison & Bois-Préau, Rueil-Malmaison. Don de la Société des Amis de Malmaison (inv. M.M.74.7.3 (a)) © Photo RMN - Daniel Arnaudet

Robert LEFÈVRE (French 1756-1830), Empress Josephine with a Herbarium on the table beside her (L'imperatrice Joséphine avec un herbier) 1805, oil on canvas, 216.0 x 175.0 cm. Museo Napoleonico, Rome (Inv. MN 22)

Pierre-Joseph REDOUTÉ (Flemish 1759-1840), Rosa Gallica pontiana 1824-26, page no. 121 in Les Roses (Roses) Vol. 2 by Claude Antoine Thory, published by C. L. F. Panckoucke, Paris, colour engraving, 25.7 x 18.0 cm (page). Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Donation Lapeyre (inv. 5314) © Fondation Napoléon – Stéphane Pons

Exploration & Discovery

It is said that history is written by the victors: the collapse of French Empire along with Napoleon’s reign and the victory of the English have obscured the remarkable story of the French exploration of Australia. Numerous expeditions, dating from the time of Louis XV and Louis XVI in the middle of the eighteenth century to the most well-documented and ambitious expedition to Terre Australe by Nicolas Baudin in 1800-1804, placed France in the forefront of both geographical and scientific exploration of Australia. French documentation of Australia’s Indigenous people, the botanical and zoological descriptions and drawings and collecting of specimens resulted in the most remarkable body of knowledge of its time – they were the first to make known the richness and diversity of life in this country.

Melchisedech THEVENOT (French c.1620-1692), Hollandia Nova detecta 1644; Terre Australe decouuerte l'an 1644, ink on paper, 50.0 x 37.0 cm. Published in De l'imprimerie de Iaqves Langlois, 1663. National Library of Australia, Canberra (MAP NK 2785). Photo: National Library of Australia

Edouard NUEL (French active 1780s), Louis XVI giving final instructions to the Comte de la Perouse 1785 c.1875, oil on canvas, 175.0 x 238.0 cm. Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales (ML 39)

J. M. MOREAU le Jeune (French 1741-1814) Philippe TRIÈRE (engraver) (French 1756- (c. 1815). Title page in Atlas accompanying La Pérouse’s voyage around the world (Atlas du voyage de La Pérouse autour du monde) 1797, published by L’Imprimerie de la République, Paris; engraving, 60.0 x 44.4 cm (page). Rare Books Collection, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne. (RARELTEF 910.41 L31VE, Atlas). Photo: State Library of Victoria

Charles-Alexandre LESUEUR (French 1778-1846), Platypus (Ornithorynque) (1802-04); watercolour, pencil; 24.0 x 38.0 cm. Muséum d'Histoire naturelle, Le Havre (inv. 80033). Photo: Alain Havard

Charles-Alexandre LESUEUR (French 1778-1846), Aborigines dancing near a fire (Aborigènes dansant près d'un feu) (1802-04); brush and ink, wash, pencil; 14.6 x 22.3 cm. Muséum d'Histoire naturelle, Le Havre (inv. 16008). Photo: Alain Havard

Charles-Alexandre LESUEUR (French 1778-1846), Indigenous weapons (Armes des Naturels) (1802-04); watercolour, pen and ink, pencil; 27.2 x 21.7 cm. Muséum d'Histoire naturelle, Le Havre (inv. 16035.1). Photo: Alain Havard

Nicolas-Martin PETIT (French 1777-1804), Man of New Holland (Homme de Nouvelle-Hollande) (1802-04); charcoal, pencil, pen and ink; 21.0 x 19.0 cm. Muséum d'Histoire naturelle, Le Havre (inv. 20037). Photo: Alain Havard

Charles-Alexandre LESUEUR (French 1778-1846), Map of Port Jackson (Sydney) (Plan de Port-Jackson (Sydney)) (1802-04); watercolour, pen and ink, pencil; 21.4 x 29.3 cm. Muséum d'Histoire naturelle, Le Havre (inv. 16074.2). Photo: Alain Havard

Nicolas-Martin PETIT (French 1777-1804), Woman of New Holland and her child (Femme de Nouvelle-Hollande et son enfant) (1802-04); pastel, black chalk, gouache, charcoal, brown and black ink, pencil; 28.3 x 19.6 cm. Muséum d'Histoire naturelle, Le Havre (inv. 20036.1). Photo: Alain Havard

E. Phillips FOX, Captain James Cook (copy of Nathaniel Dance original in the Greenwich Hospital) (1891) ; oil on canvas; (128.6 x 102.8 cm). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Felton Bequest, 1906. 256-2

James COOK (author) (English 1728-1779), Frontispiece and title page in Abridged edition of historical and modern voyages around the world (Collection abrégée des voyages anciens et modernes autour du monde) 1809. Vol. 8 by James Cook, published by Dufart, Paris; engraving, 21.0 x 13.5 x 3.5 cm (closed). Collection of Pierre Branda, Paris © Fondation Napoléon - Patrice Maurin Berthier

Charles-Alexandre LESUEUR (French 1778-1846), Profiles of the coast of New Holland (Profils de côtes de Nouvelle-Hollande), (1802-03), watercolour, pencil; 20.5 x 28.0 cm. Muséum d'Histoire naturelle, Le Havre (inv. 16085). Photo: Alain Havard

Facts & Figures

Napoleon’s preference was to appoint members of his extensive family to govern in his stead in diverse quarters of the Empire.

Thomas Charles NAUDET (French 1773-1810), The French army crossing Great St Bernard Pass (Passage du col de Saint-Bernard par l'armée française) Consular period 1799-1804; brush and ink, wash; 35.5 x 50.6 cm. Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Acquisition 2008 (inv. 1172) © Fondation Napoléon – Stéphane Pons

François-Louis-Joseph WATTEAU (French 1758-1823), The Battle of the Pyramids, 21 July 1798 (La Bataille des Pyramides, 21 juillet 1798) (1798-99); oil on canvas; 94.0 x 120.4 cm. Musée des Beaux-Arts, Valenciennes (Inv. P. 46.1.211) © Photo RMN - René-Gabriel Ojéda

Joseph BOZE (French 1745-1825), Robert LEFEVRE (French 1755-1830), Carle VERNET (French 1758-1836), General Bonaparte and his Chief of Staff, General Berthier, at the Battle of Marengo (Le général Bonaparte et son chef d’État-major le général Berthier à la bataille de Marengo) 1801 (detail); oil on canvas; 289.0 x 232.0 cm. Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Acquisition 2002 (inv. 1164) © Fondation Napoléon - Patrice Maurin Berthier

Jacques-François-Joseph SWEBACH (called SWEBACH-DESFONTAINES) (French 1769-1823), The Battle of Marengo (La Bataille de Marengo) 1801; oil on wood; 48.0 x 87.0 cm. Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Donation Lapeyre (inv. 764) © Fondation Napoléon – Patrice Maurin Berthier

Daniel SAINT (decorator) (French 1778-1847), Pierre-André MONTAUBAN (goldsmith) (France active 1800-20), Portrait of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, box (Portrait de Louis Bonaparte, Roi de Hollande, boîte). Empire period 1804-15; watercolour and gouache on ivory, gold, enamel; 1.9 x 6.5 x 9.5 cm (closed). Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Donation Lapeyre (inv. 1098) © Fondation Napoléon – Patrice Maurin Berthier

PORCELAINE DE PARIS (MANUFACTURE DE NAST, Paris) (manufacturer) (France 1783-1835) or (DOCCIA PORCELAIN MANUFACTORY) (manufacturer) (Italy 1735-), Cup and saucer with a portrait of Elisa Bonaparte (Tasse et soucoupe, portrait d’Elisa Bonaparte) (c. 1810); porcelain (hard-paste); (a) 12.0 cm height (cup); (b) 15.0 cm diameter (saucer). Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Donation Lapeyre (inv. 795) © Fondation Napoléon – Patrice Maurin Berthier

Philip-Heinrick DUNKER (German 1780-1836), Portrait of Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples (Portrait de Caroline Murat, reine de Naples)Empire period 1804-15; watercolour and gouache; 19.5 x 15.2 cm. Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Donation Lapeyre (inv. 726) © Fondation Napoléon – Patrice Maurin Berthier

Salvatore NASTI (decorator), Italy active (early 19th century); Pierre-André MONTAUBAN (goldsmith) (France active 1800-20), Portrait of Joachim Murat, King of Naples, box (Portrait de Joachim Murat, Roi de Naples, boîte) 1815; watercolour and gouache on ivory, gold, enamel; 1.9 x 8.8 x 5.6 cm (closed). Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Donation Lapeyre (inv. 640) © Fondation Napoléon – Patrice Maurin Berthier

Louis-François AUBRY (French 1767-1851), Portrait of Jérôme Bonaparte, box (Portrait de Jérôme Bonaparte, boîte) Empire period 1804-15; watercolour and gouache on ivory, gold, diamonds; 2.1 x 6.5 x 9.2 cm (closed).. Fondation Napoléon, Paris. Donation Lapeyre (inv. 632) © Fondation Napoléon – Patrice Maurin Berthier

Vincent BERTRAND (French 1770- after 1818), Portrait of Baron Denon (Portrait du baron Denon) (late 18th century); watercolour and gouache on ivory ; 14.3 x 10.8 cm. Private collection, Paris © Fondation Napoléon - Vincent Mercier