Napoleon Bonaparte
(1769-1821) joined the French army when
he was 16, became a successful military commander
and was made Emperor of the French (1804-14) when
he was just 35. Significantly, he was Emperor,
not King, of the French. At this time the monarchy
had been swept away by the French Revolution and
many aristocrats had lost their lives to the guillotine.
Napoleon had led many successful campaigns in
Italy and had come back a hero, making him obvious
choice for a new leader. He was finally defeated
by The Duke of Wellington and the Prussians at
The Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Here Napoleon is being sworn in as Emperor of
the French on December 2nd 1804. Holding a rigid
and proud pose, he is standing to make the coronation
oath. His gaze is fixed straight ahead of him
and his right hand stretched above the Civil Code,
the Orb and the Hands of Justice, which are symbols of rule.
Napoleon’s dress is of white silk and is
extravagantly embellished in gold. His robe is
made from deep red velvet, lavishly lined and embellished
with ermine (a type of rodent whose fur was rare
and expensive and has long been used to identify
people of a high status in portraits). His lace
scarf is swept aside, making us notice the large
capital ‘N’ framed by a circular border
of olive branches, which is hanging from the Legion
of Honour. In his left hand, and creating a link
to his military history, he is holding a sceptre
surmounted by the imperial eagle. He is wearing
a gold headdress of olive branches, the emblem
of Roman Emperors. Both his robe and the carpet
are embroidered with the imperial bee, a symbol
that also belonged to the first Roman Emperor
Charlemagne, the compassionate and much-loved
King of 8th-century Western Europe. Napoleon is
obviously surrounding himself with the regalia
of Kings and identifying himself with ancient
Roman rule and Empire. |
