I have mentioned in my previous posts , not my favorite museum, but need to see it at least once for the history of it. And of course, visiting the beautiful,historical, architecturally stunning Château de Fontainebleau in my nostalgic dept 77 Seine-et-Marne in the Île de France region is a must. Again written many posts on it and a very attaching castle for me and my family but feel need to tell you more about the goodies inside. I like to update this older post on a museum of a controversial figure in history; the Napoléon I Museum.
After much debate, this museum was opened in 1986, and built on two levels at the same princely apartments located in the Louis XV wing. A museum entirely devoted to Napoléon Bonaparte was thus created in Fontainebleau, its aim being to present a view of the self name emperor and his family. It was set up in the part of the château which had been restored by Napoleon I in 1810 and which before that restoration (from 1803 to 1808) had been the headquarters of the the special military academy, later known as Saint-Cyr. (see post).
The collections came largely from the succession of the Imperial Family, Prince Napoleon, descendant of Jérôme de Westphalie, (still heir as Napoléon V, and glad to tell met Princess Napoléon his wife), younger brother and last heir of Napoleon 1st allow the evocation of Napoleon, Emperor between 1804 and 1815, of his family and in particular of his brothers, sovereigns in Europe. The gathering of an important gallery of portraits introduces to the route which successively presents the coronation, the splendours of the imperial table, the siblings and the diplomatic gifts, a campaign tent, the daily life of an emperor-soldier, the empress Marie-Louise then the heir, the King of Rome, The only throne room still visible in France, the Salle du Trône, the throne of Napoleon I, from the Tuileries Palace (now gone -see post). The rest of the elements (canopy, signs, platform) from the Palace of Saint-Cloud, (now gone) sent to Fontainebleau in 1808.
The official Château de Fontainebleau on the museum of Napoléon: http://:https://www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr/en/explore-the-castle-and-gardens/fontainebleau-rooms/napoleon-museum-fontainebleau/
The official Château de Fontainebleau on Napoléon: https://www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr/en/explore-the-castle-and-gardens/chateau-fontainebleau-history/the-palace-of-napoleon-i/
The official Napoléon’s family imperial site on Napoléon I: https://www.napoleon.org/en/young-historians/napodoc/in-the-footsteps-of-napoleon-i/
There you go folks, always wonderful nostalgic , words cannot describe my coming to Fontainebleau . The castle is very nice and show the history of France and the Bonaparte’s family of France, and Europe. An educational as well as historical take back in time at the Napoleon I Museum of Fontainebleau. Again, hope you enjoy the post as I
And remember ,happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
I like to have two postcrips here for the history amateur in me and for the sake of roundup the post on the museum of Napoléon I of Fontainebleau.
ps1 : In 1803, ten years after its creation, the Louvre Museum was renamed the Napoleon Museum. It remains until 1814, the most prestigious museum in the world by the extent and the quality of its collections constituted, in addition to the former royal collections and the goods seized from the Church and from emigrants, by the war prizes carried out in Belgium. , Italy, Prussia and Austria. In 1815, when the Empire fell, nearly 5,000 works were returned to their countries. It was the National Convention that offered this solution to the vanquished in 1794 to pay their war indemnities. Having become First Consul then Emperor, Napoleon multiplied the artistic requisitions throughout Europe and ordered works at the Louvre in order to welcome and present these treasures with dignity The Louvre Museum has many works purchased or commissioned under the Consulate and the Empire . I will cite here only the most prestigious paintings (me think) of the French school devoted to the Napoleonic epic: The Plague Victims of Jaffa and Napoleon on the Battlefield of Eylau by Gros, The Empress Joséphine at Malmaison by Prud’hon, Le Sacre by David, The Chasseur Officer of the Charging Guard and The Wounded Cuirassier by Géricault.
ps2 : I came as a boy with my parents many many years ago always remembered even if not seen again in 52 years!! The Museo Napoleonico of La Habana (Havana), The Museo Napoleónico (Napoleon Museum) is housed in a building that was originally used as the home of Orestes Ferrera, one of the authors of the collection that is exhibited in the museum today. The house is inspired by the style of the Florentine Renaissance palaces of the 16C and was built in the decade of 1920, The house, located in calle San Miguel n°1 159 esq. Ronda, the Vedado district of Havana, was built of Italian marble, wrought iron and wood of first quality. This museum houses a large collection of nearly 7,000 personal items, weapons and works of art of Napoleon Bonaparte which were collected by Julio Lobo, the Cuban sugar magnate, and Orestes Ferrera, politician. From the collection we can notice the sketches of Voltaire, the paintings of the Battle of Waterloo, a mask from the collection of death masks made in bronze, which was made two days after his death by his personal doctor; the pistols that Napoleon carried at the Battle of Borondino, and the furniture that can be seen in Napoleon’s study room and bedroom. it is one of the most important museums in the world, To add his personal doctor Antonmarchi. Born in Corsica died in Santiago de Cuba in 1838;today remains rest at the cemetery necropolis of Santa Ifigenia, Santiago de Cuba, The Napoleon family foundation on the museum:https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/havanas-museo-napoleonico-reopens-30-march-2011/
Paris1972-Versailles2003 