This oil painting is by Etienne Bouhot from 1813. Titled The Tuileries Gardens And Palace Seen From the Quai d'Orsay, it shows the imperial gardens and palace in the final years of Napoleon's days of power. The gardens are still around today, but the palace was destroyed during the days of the Paris Commune in 1871.
There were also items of Napoleon's time on display, such as fashion- including these slippers and fan, and the bed in the second shot.
The breastplate you see here is steel and engraved brass. It was Napoleon's ceremonial breastplate. The chest beneath it, open for display, was his campaign kit, which impressed me. It contains 110 items, neatly packed together, with personal grooming and dining items, as well as working tools. Napoleon had commissioned it from a goldsmith named Martin-Guillaume Biennais.
This painting from 1833 is by the artist Louis-Charles Auguste Couder. Napoleon I Viewing The Staircase Of The Louvre, Accompanied By Architects Percier And Fontaine shows the Emperor and the architects whose work on what was the Musee Napoleon and is today the Louvre amid the splendour of the building, which shows signs of being worked on.
The Church Of The Feuillants Being Demolished is a work by Hubert Robert dating back to around 1804, showing the dismantling of a church during the Revolutionary period- this church stood near the Tuileries.
Interesting how napoleon memorabilia has found its way round the world. We have a homestead on an old property called The Briars at Mount Martha. Surprisingly, quite a large collection of Napoleonic artefacts are there. Alexander Balcombe was born on the island of St Helena. When Napoleon was exiled there, his father had business dealings with him. Balcombe’s granddaughter, Dame Mabel Brookes, established a collection of Napoleon-related memorabilia which is displayed in The Briars homestead. Interesting paintings too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great art.
ReplyDeleteAlgumas belas peças que gostei de ver.
ReplyDeleteUm abraço e continuação de boa semana.
Andarilhar | Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa | Livros-Autografados
What a nice exhibition, I like those personal belongings, always curious to see them. The painting with the Louvre is so interesting to see.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marianne above, the case of Napoleon's personals must have been fascinating.. I'm happy that the Tuilerie Gardens survived, I have enjoyed walking in them so much ☺
ReplyDelete@Gemma: his life's paraphnalia really has gotten around.
ReplyDelete@Orvokki: definitely.
@Francisco: thank you.
@Marianne: the art really spoke to me.
@Grace: I would like to see them someday.
I like seeing the personal iterms most.
ReplyDeleteThe bed and Napoleon personal kit are very interesting. I like to see the paintings too.
ReplyDeleteEchoes of history well presented, William
ReplyDeleteThere's just something about Paris...maybe I lived there in another lifetime? These paintings and the historical commentary strike a chord deep within me. There's no city in the world like it.
ReplyDeleteI just took a long walk in the Tuileries Gardens last September when I visited Paris for the day. It's still a beautiful place today.
ReplyDeleteThe personal items are fascinating.
ReplyDeleteOld Napoleon was a very active and interesting guy. One wonders where he got all the pompous ideas and why he wanted to fight all the time?
ReplyDeleteall the rage, women and their fans ... i wonder what they were made of? maybe on the rich ones had the fancy ones. i guess i need to google it. ( :
ReplyDelete@Norma: it's interesting to see those touches of history like that. I've felt that way before, seeing a displayed letter written by George Washington during the French and Indian War.
ReplyDelete@Nancy: I do love art.
@Cloudia: I really enjoyed this exhibit.
@Lowell: it is one of the world's greatest cities, if not the greatest period.
@Sharon: I would enjoy walking there.
@Linda: they certainly are!
@Red: psychologists would have a field day figuring him out.
@Beth: they were quite a fashion!
It's wonderful to step back in time and view paintings of a long ago era and see the personal belongings of a historical figure. Very nice exhibition and your photos allow us to see it too. Thanks William!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think I'm a barbarian or a hermit for not visiting these places, then I see your blog and photos and feel as if I've been there!
ReplyDeleteA friend is heading up to Ottawa this weekend & I will tell him about this show!
ReplyDeleteNapoleon strikes me as a bit of an effete.
ReplyDelete110 items in that chest would impress me also.
ReplyDelete@Bill: you're welcome.
ReplyDelete@Jennifer: it's a pleasure to visit them.
@RedPat: well, too late for this exhibit, but I can personally recommend the Alex Janvier retrospective at the National Gallery.
@Revrunner: I can see that.
@Mari: very efficient packing.
The personal items of Napoleon are fascinating! Oh and I just love the first painting, probably because it reminds me of a beautiful summer morning I spent sitting by the Grand Bassin Rond in Jardin des Tuileries in Paris while waiting to go into the Louvre.
ReplyDeleteA good memory!
DeleteI would love to have seen that Napoleon show. I was fascinated by him as a young lad and read several biographies.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed it.
DeleteKits like Napoleon's are fascinating artifacts. The Smithsonian has Washington's mess kit, just a modest plate and such. But it somehow makes the soldier more real and alive, I think.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
DeleteMy oldest Granddaughter had the chance to go to Paris with school trip years ago. She loved it. She now has got hired as full time teacher teaching French. So who knows maybe in years she will take another trip with her students.
ReplyDeleteI've never been.
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