Height: 14cm (5.5in)
A July Monarchy period head and shoulders portrait bust of Napoleon I in ‘herm’ form after Canova.
Similar to a slightly more restrained model by the French sculptor Antoine-Denis Chaudet, the present bust of Napoleon I (1769-1821) is derived from a model by the Italian sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822). It was worked in a Neoclassical style with the shoulders cut off and straight sides, in imitation of Roman imperial portraits, that compared Napoleon to a god or hero of the ancient world, a comparison that the 'Emperor of the French' himself doubtless promoted. The present bronze probably dates to the return of Napoleon I’s mortal remains from St Helena to France in 1840 under the July Monarchy that was marked by the triumph of the wealthy bourgeoisie, a return to Napoleonic influence.