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Symbols of PowerNapoleon and the Art of the Empire Style, 1800-1815
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Elizabethan, Victorian, Edwardian, Napoleonic: all are royal rulers that put their name to a well-defined artistic style. The nobility bought in the style of their royal master's taste. Royalty was known for it's patronage of the arts. Visitors to the court merely had to take one look at the opulence abounding and know this was the leader of the nation with wealth, power and all the trappings that accompany royal rule. |
Title: Throne, 1805
Artist: François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter (French 1770-1841)
Embroidery by Picot
Designed by Bernard Poyet (French 1742-1834)
Medium: Carved and Gilded Wood, covered in Red Velvet with Silver Embroidery
Dimensions: 160 x 110 x 82 cm (66 1/8 x 44 1/8 x 32 3/8 in.)
Permanent Collection: Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (14421 A)
Image Courtesy: of the American Federation of Arts and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Napoleonic style is viewed as one of the most opulent, returning to an era befitting the Bourbons after the Reign of Terror ended in France, following the Revolution and Bonaparte coming to power. His championing of France artistry was not completely self-serving but putting the interests of his country at the forefront. It became the embodiment of the new political order and critical of his attempt to legitimize his reign and importantly promote the arts and economy of France. It was the uprising of the poor that brought down Louis and Marie-Antoinette. Napoleon Bonaparte took that lesson to heart.
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Napoleon and the Art of the Empire Style: 1800-1815 takes an in-depth look at the methods the French Emperor used, taking known emblems of power from antiquity, especially Egypt and Rome, and linked his own reign with those of the great civilizations of the past. |
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Take note of the Emperor's Cuirasse that was manufactured in Paris but done in the Roman style for a breastplate. It was modeled after the type of armor that was first worn by the Roman Emperors and was created to honor Napoleon in 1805. The decoration illustrates Napoleon as a victorious Mars, to link the idea that Napoleon's victories were symbolically descended from the Roman God of War. |
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Josephine's style was also influential. Much of her decorative art collection was sensuous in nature. Her style of clothing became popular as she reflected her role as the Empress of France. |
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The Empire Style focused on a heavy use of symbols to convey the message of Napoleon's power. The designs took inspiration from Greco-Roman antiquity but with a French twist. They were enlivened with bold colors, costly and elaborately worked materials, done on a massive scale and ornate decoration that includes animal and fantastical figures such as lions, griffons and symbolic references to Napoleon's reign. |
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Napoleon's Symbols of Power is comprised of nearly 230 objects such as furniture, silver, porcelain, bronzes, jewelry, textiles, wallpapers, metalwork and painting. |
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Title: Boat Bed / Lit bateau, French about 1804-1810
Medium: Mahogany and Gilded Bronze
Dimensions: 107.5 x 120 x 199 cm (40 1/2 x 47 1/4 x 88 1/4 in.)
Permanent Collection: Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Paris (111187)
Image Courtesy: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
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This is the first comprehensive survey of the decorative arts of the Empire style, with an attempt to include every visual medium available at the time. |
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Several important works have never been exhibited outside of France. |
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Symbols of Power Napoleon and the Art of the Empire Style, 1800-1815
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston:
October 21, 2007 - January 27, 2008
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris:
April 2, 2008 - October 5, 2008