‘The emperor at the king’s home—Napoleon at Louis XIV’s,’ wrote Victor Hugo in reference to Versailles.

Via the Napoleon exhibition, the ‘Versailles in Arras’ partnership highlights the history of the close link between the first emperor of the French and the royal estate. Following in the footsteps of Louis XIV and Marie-Antoinette, the time Napoleon spent at Versailles, which is often overlooked, marked the beginning of his new union with Marie-Louise.

The Versailles estate houses the finest Napoleonic collection in the world, comprised of masterpieces— paintings, sculpture, and furniture—by nineteenthcentury masters, such as David, Gros, Gérard, Robert, Girodet, Lejeune, Canova, and Jacob-Desmalter.

A combination of splendour and discretion, military scenes, and iconic portraits, the works commissioned by Napoleon reflect a turbulent reign that became legendary, involving the most emblematic and prominent figures of the period, and the most memorable battles of the Napoleonic saga.

Author: under the direction of Frédéric Lacaille
Editor: château de Versailles and éditions Somogy

ISBN: 978-2-7572-1292-9
Number of pages: 280 pages
Date of publication: 4 october 2017
Dimensions: 24 x 29 cm
Languages: this catalogue is bilingual french/english