Napoleon

GIFT OF THE BEN WEIDER COLLECTION
TO THE MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

Napoleon’s Hat from the Russian Campaign

Today, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is inaugurating new permanent galleries devoted to Napoleon and the arts under the First Empire, thanks to a major gift – the collection of works assembled by the late Ben Weider, for whom “Napoleon was a giant of history, one of the most influential figures of the nineteenth century, who helped to define the modern age.” According to Nathalie Bondil, the Museum’s Director, “This outstanding gift and Mr. Weider’s philanthropic desire to raise the profile of Napoleon have enabled us to acquire a group of works on long-term loan and have sparked offers of further gifts, so that the Museum can, at last, open an Empire gallery. Not only Montreal’s heritage but also that of Canada will be enriched, for this magnificent period in the arts was hitherto poorly represented for obvious historical reasons. We will always be extremely grateful to Mr. Weider.”

Personal effects that once belonged to the Emperor are featured in this presentation, notably the famous cocked hat – the only one in North America – that Napoleon wore during the Russian campaign in 1812, a cartonnier from the library at Malmaison, a milk jug with the coat of arms of Napoleon and Marie-Louise, created by the goldsmith Martin-Guillaume Biennais, a writing-desk and pen-holder, a boot and riding gloves, and a shirt. Paintings, sculptures, miniatures and decorative art objects together with numerous prints and various documents of a historical nature relating to Napoleon are all part of this major donation. The artworks include a majestic Bust-length Portrait of Napoleon in Coronation Robes in a very fine contemporary frame from the studio of Baron Gérard, a rare marble bust from the Neoclassical studio of Berthel Thorvaldsen, The Apotheosis of Napoleon, and a bronze by Jean-Léon Gérôme, Bonaparte Entering Cairo.

A hundred works of art and objects relating to the arts under the First Empire, and in particular to Napoleon himself, are also on display. They come from Mr. Weider’s collection and also from gifts and long-term loans from other private collections, notably from those of the Honourable Serge Joyal, p.c., o.c., Power Corporation of Canada, Roger Prigent of New York and Élaine Bédard and Alexandre de Bothuri Báthory, as well as from the Museum’s own holdings. This presentation reveals the (often forgotten) long-standing ties of history and friendship between Quebec, Acadia and France through the lens of Napoleon’s career and legend.

The late Ben Weider, the well-known personality and visionary businessman, was passionate about Napoleon’s life and fate, and assembled an astonishing collection of historical objects relating to the Emperor. Founding president of the International Napoleonic Society, he gave lectures and also published a number of works on Napoleonic history, the fruit of his wide research.

Of all the kings, emperors, rulers and military leaders known to history, Napoleon continues to be one of the most celebrated. More has been written about him, and continues to be written, than about any other figure of history: literary and historical works, epic poems, plays, symphonies, films, even musicals. But above all, it is the legendary aura of the man himself that still fascinates us today. In another connection, the figure of Napoleon, personifying the lost motherland and national pride, became an important rallying factor in French Canada, where the Emperor became a symbol of the resistance to the English. Napoleon’s secular and republican ideas were to influence intellectual circles in Montreal, particularly the Parti Canadien of Louis-Joseph Papineau. Quebec’s Civil Code, promulgated in 1866 and still in force, was largely based on the French Civil Code of 1804, often referred to as the “Napoleonic Code.”

The Napoleon galleries of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts constitute one of North America’s most important collections of items relating to Napoleon (1769-1821). They are open to the public free of charge at all times.

This project was led by Nathalie Bondil, in collaboration with the Honourable Serge Joyal. The installation was designed by Christiane Michaud.

 

Free Free Admission
Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion
Level 3

 

Poupard et Delaunay; Hatters to the Palais Royal; Active in Paris, early 19th c.; Napoleon’s Hat from the Russian Campaign; About 1812; Felt, silk, fabric; The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Ben Weider Collection