Antique French 19th Century Napoleon Wearing Laurel Wreath Crown Wall Sculpture

Details

Description

1 Traditional Small French Antique 19th Century Napoleon Wearing Laurel Wreath Crown Wall Sculpture.
Add some French Napoleonic military history … Read more 1 Traditional Small French Antique 19th Century Napoleon Wearing Laurel Wreath Crown Wall Sculpture.
Add some French Napoleonic military history to your walls.
Subject quarter length view head portrait in low relief of Napoleon Bonaparte wearing his laurel wreath crown in side profile.
The crown was produced by Biennais and made up of forty-four large leaves, forty-two detachable berries and twelve smaller leaves, set on an oval band and fixed at the back of the head by a pin. This crown was destroyed during the Restoration.
So collectible a great Christmas gift highly sought after quality display piece.
Made from cast bronze & set in a dark oak frame.
With a round metal hanging loop attached to the back ready for immediate home wall display.
A nice small size being 11.5 cm wide and 15.5 high.
Circa mid 19th century.
Origin from France.
Provenance from a bronze dealers collection in the Shires.
Biography of Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone Bonaparte 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. He was the leader of the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804, then of the French Empire as Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814, and briefly again in 1815. Napoleon's political and cultural legacy endures as a celebrated and controversial leader. He initiated many liberal reforms that have persisted through the years, and is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history. His campaigns are still studied at military academies worldwide. Between three and six million soldiers and civilians died in the Napoleonic Wars.
Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica into a native family descending from Italian nobility. Napoleon was resentful of the French monarchy, and supported the French Revolution in 1789 while serving in the French army, even going so far as to try and spread its ideals to his native Corsica. He rose rapidly in the ranks after saving the governing French Directory by firing on royalist insurgents. In 1796, he began a military campaign against the Austrians and their Italian allies, scoring decisive victories, and became a national hero. Two years later he led a military expedition to Egypt that served as a springboard to political power. He engineered a coup in November 1799 and became First Consul of the Republic. In 1804, to consolidate and expand his power, he crowned himself Emperor of the French.
Differences with the United Kingdom meant France faced the War of the Third Coalition by 1805. Napoleon shattered this coalition with victories in the Ulm campaign and at the Battle of Austerlitz, which led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1806, the Fourth Coalition took up arms against him. Napoleon defeated Prussia at the battles of Jena and Auerstedt, marched the Grande Armée into Eastern Europe, and defeated the Russians in June 1807 at Friedland, forcing the defeated nations of the Fourth Coalition to accept the Treaties of Tilsit. Two years later, the Austrians challenged the French again during the War of the Fifth Coalition, but Napoleon solidified his grip over Europe after triumphing at the Battle of Wagram.
Hoping to extend the Continental System, his embargo against Britain, Napoleon invaded the Iberian Peninsula and declared his brother Joseph the King of Spain in 1808. The Spanish and the Portuguese revolted in the Peninsular War aided by a British army, culminating in defeat for Napoleon's marshals. Napoleon launched an invasion of Russia in the summer of 1812. The resulting campaign witnessed the catastrophic retreat of Napoleon's Grande Armée. In 1813, Prussia and Austria joined Russian forces in a Sixth Coalition against France, resulting in a large coalition army defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig. The coalition invaded France and captured Paris, forcing Napoleon to abdicate in April 1814. He was exiled to the island of Elba, between Corsica and Italy. In France, the Bourbons were restored to power.
Napoleon escaped in February 1815 and took control of France. The Allies responded by forming a Seventh Coalition, which defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. The British exiled him to the remote island of Saint Helena in the Atlantic, where he died in 1821 at the age of 51.
Napoleon had an extensive impact on the modern world, bringing liberal reforms to the lands he conquered in Europe, especially the regions of the Low Countries, Switzerland, modern Italy and Germany. He implemented many liberal policies in France and Western Europe. Napoleon also sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States in 1803, instantly doubling the size of the United States. His role in the Haitian Revolution and decision to reinstate slavery in France's overseas colonies are controversial and affect his reputation.
Checkout our other exciting Fine Arts, antiques & collectibles available in our shop gallery.

Dimensions in centimetres approximate

High (15.5 cm)
Width (11.5 cm)
Length depth thickness (1.5 cm) See less