Home Introduction Collection Contact Links Movie

Napoleon arriving at the château of St Cloud

51 x 44cm
1804-1814
This 'stipple' engraving, Vue du Chateau de St Cloud no. 10, shows Napoleon and a group of officers arriving at the main gates of the palace of St Cloud. The palace, located in what was then the outer suburbs of Paris, was one of Napoleon's official residences. Under the revolution it had been allowed to fall into a state of ill repair, it's furniture sold off and the park lands allowed to over grow. When Napoleon came to power he soon realised that Malmaison was going to be to small for a country residence for his new court so he ordered his architect Fontaine to commence restoration works which eventually would cost over 3 million francs. It was in this palace on the 18th May 1804 that Napoleon was proclaimed Emperor of the French Republic. Through out the years of the Empire Napoleon and Josephine, and then Marie-Louise would spend many days in residence and the place was to host some of the most important events of the Empire period. The palace was destroyed in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian war after a shell, fired by the French, hit the Emperors bedroom. The Prussians, looking on did nothing to put out the fire and in a short time the whole building was engulfed.

Imperial Family Militaria Paintings Porcelain Drawings Documents Prints Decorative Arts Medallions Rare Books New Acquisitions Coronation

Written Documents Printed Documents