Imperial Bee from the Grand Mantle worn by
Napoleon at his coronation in 1804
Abeille Imperiale le la Grand Manteau porté par Napoléon lors de son couronnement en 1804
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Napoleon was crowned Emperor of the French on
December 2nd in 1804. He had planned everything
down to the smallest of detail but the task of ensuring his
plans were followed through fell on Ségur, the Grand
master of Ceremonies, and to Remusat, the First
Chamberlain. Percier and Fontaine,Napoleon's
architects, were appointed to look after the decorations
to be installed in the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris
and the important task of designing the costumes to be
worn by Napoleon and Josephine fell to Jean Baptiste
Isabey.
The costumes that Isabey designed echoed with links to
the past, and the 'bee' symbol, recently discovered in
the tome of Childéric, and adopted by Napoleon was
on everything! Sadly today, only a few items have
survived from these grand costumes. Napoleons white
tunic and sash, shoes, one leaf from his crown and a
few other items are now in museums in France and
around the world. Unfortunately the ‘Grand Mantles’
worn by both Napoleon and Josephine were destroyed
soon after the fall of the Empire in 1814.
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The mantles were made of crimson velvet lined with
ermine and were embroidered with symbols of 'power',
laurel leaves alternating with large bouquets of sheets
of bay, oak and olive branches. They were also ‘strewn’
with Napoleons personal symbol, the bee.
The construction of the Grand Mantles required the
collaboration of many craftsmen in addition to Picot
who was responsible for all the embroidery. Vacher
was to supply the crimson silk velvet, Chevallier was to
cut and tailor, Gorbet was responsible for the hand
braided trimming, and the widow Toulet, who asked
18,220 francs, supplied the lining of ermine from
Russia.
Picot, the embroiderer to the Emperor and the
Empress, was installed in rue Saint-Thomas du Louvre,
and was charged with creating almost all the
embroideries on the petit (small) and grand
habillement (great costume) for the coronation. For
the rich borders along the grand mantles and for the
bees, he receives the important sum of 15,000 francs.
After the coronation the mantles were first given into
the care of the widow Toulet but they were soon
removed and put on exhibition in the treasury of the
cathedral of Notre Dame. We also know, thanks to a
letter from the painter David to Talleyrand that the
painter borrowed the imperial mantles from Notre
Dame to use as reference for his painting of the
coronation, which now hangs in the Louvre.
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The mantles were kept at Notre Dame until the first Bourbon Restoration. In 1814 the mantles of Napoleon and
Joséphine were given by Louis XVIII to Notre Dame; the linings of ermine were separated from the velvet, the
embroidered crowns and motifs were cut out, and the majority of the gold bees were sold off by the weight!
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In 2007 I was contacted by my good friend David Markham as he in turn had been contact by someone trying to
get information on an 'embroidered bee' he had recently been sold. The bee and corresponding letter had come
from the estate of a family of solicitors in Hereford, England and had been in their possession ‘for a great many
years’ and had originally been received by them as payment for work done. The letter provided the detail on how
the writer was given the 'Bee' while in Paris in 1814.
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The letter, below, reads as follows:
An Ornament from the Royal Imperial robe of
Napolean Bounaparte in which He was crowned Emperor of
The Gauls by the Pope Pius the 7th in the Church of Notre Dame
and purchased from the superiors of that church. Also the
Royal Robe of the Empress Maria Louisa.
By Mr Joseph Tournier December 1814
Given to me by Mr Joseph Tournier as a testimony of His Regards
John Wilson
No. 7 Boulevard des Italians
A Paris
December 16th 1814
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