Caroline and her sisters were insecure about their position As
socially, having been raised in relative obscurity in Corsica, cla ssical
compared to the aristocratic upbringing of Joséphine.
There for
was much competition for favour and attention from Napoleon, pro ponents
who’s fondness for Joséphine’s family was seen as a threat the
to the interests of the Bonaparte’s.
Caroline and Murat would we re
continuously undermine Joséphine’s position, spreading and
rumours about her infertility and introducing Napoleon to pre stige
various mistresses, including Eléanore Denuelle (who would wa s
later bear Napoleon a child), triggering events that would sim ple
eventually culminate in their divorce in 1810. whi ch
a result, there was a transition of collective taste towards
simplicity, rejecting the previous century’s penchant
elaborate embellishment.Joséphine
was one great
of this new look.Like
her husband, she understood
value of her public image; her choices in clothes and jewels
a conscious strategy evoke ideals ancient Greece
Rome, linking it with the current Empire to enhance the
of husband’s regime.The
ideal of female beauty
to model oneself on the ancient Greek sculptures in all their
purity.Women
abstain from any sort of fashion
might pose as a distraction from the female form.Some
of t he most avid followers of neo-classical style would dampen
the ir Roman inspired tunics so that the fabric clung to the body.
s tark contrast to previous epoque, hairstyles were adopted
the Greco-Roman world with curls swept off the face,
gat hered at the top of the head; the styles became known as à la
à la Titus or à la Cérès.
NAPOLEON AND ANTIQUITY
In The fascination for neo-classical design reached its zenith
fro m under Napoléon Bonaparte’s (1796-1821) regime and
his marriage to Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814).
Gre cque, Bonaparte’s rise to power at the turn of the 18th century
provided a much needed impetus to the luxury industries
couple
following the French Revolution and its aftermath.
More
specifically, we see an end to the terrible hiatus in jewellery
im pressive
workshops’ output and a renewed interest in this field.
were renowned for their lavish entertainment
and extravagant taste.In
just six years Joséphine spent an
sum of over 25,000,000 francs on and
clo thes, far exceeding her designated allowance.The
jewellery
tra de directly benefited from their appetite for grandeur and
which had a marked influence on the French court.
Na poleon succeeded in reviving the jewellery trade by insisting
courtiers were brilliantly bejewelled.Favoured
jewellers
Nitot, Foncier, Mellerio-Meller, well cameo
This
renaissance of luxury craftsmanship was further
by series national exhibitions staged to
very best of France’s industries.Jewellers
began
prosper once again.
As a great exponent of Imperial Rome’s methods of
lux ury government, Bonaparte sought to underpin his leadership and
influence through association with the historical and cultural
references of ancient Rome.
tha t A great patron of the arts, he
inc luded harnessed them as a tool to serve and further the Empire and
dea lers. his objectives, thus establishing and legitimising his authority
as a leader.
enc ouraged This was of particular importance given that divine-
sho wcase right sovereignty was no longer the legal basis for leadership.
to As such, it was imperative that the French public bought
into the image of a powerful and well governed Empire.
The
country was therefore presented with highly idealised images
sti mulated
of Napoleon in various heroic poses littered with neo-classical
motifs.
These scenes were usually based closely on depictions
of his highly admired Roman predecessors.
origin,
En graved gems surged in popularity during this period,
by 18th century discoveries and excavations
anc ient sites such as Pompeii and Herculaneum.As
a result
of t he 1796 Italian campaign, cameos, many of Greek or
were transported back from Italy to France.
Directorate was captivated by the intricate beauty
carved gemstones, appreciating each as a miniature
of art in their own right.He
also admired the portrait
recognising its potential as a political and diplomatic
Bonaparte’s
portrait was incorporated extensively in
this medium to signal an explicit connection with his rule and
values of ancient Rome.Indeed,
he chose a number of
finest examples to be mounted into jewels.We
can see
this exemplified in Napoleon’s coronation crown, created
the official court goldsmith, Martin-Guillaume Biennais.
Th e arched crown is studded with a large number of ancient
por trait cameos chosen to emphasise this affiliation with past
rulers.He
went on to commission his own likeness to
be carved into stone and distributed in order to bolster public
the empire.Quintessential
Roman motifs, laurel
Th e Andrea Appiani’s ‘Apotheosis of Napoleon’ (1807) is a faultless
the se execution of the propagandistic style of Napoleonic painting,
wo rk depicting Bonaparte seated upon a throne, torso bare, with a
laurel wreath upon his head.
ca meo, His muscular, idealised physique
too l. and the toga draped over his legs all nod to ancient classical
sculptures, drawing parallels between himself and the all-
the powerful Roman Empire.
the
‘Napoleon I on his Imperial Throne’ (1806) by Jean-Auguste-
Dominique Ingres is another striking example.
The crown
by
of golden laurel leaves makes a direct link with past Roman
Emperors.
Napoléon was the new Augustus Caesar and,
like him, clearly understood the power of the arts and how
Ro man
to exploit this in order to influence public perception and
generate admiration for his style of governing.
sup port
Opposite: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780 – 1867) Napoleon on his Imperial throne, 1806 Musée de l’Armée, Paris
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