Lot 279
279
A BRONZE BUST OF NAPOLEON AS FIRST CONSUL
A BRONZE BUST OF NAPOLEON AS FIRST CONSUL

AFTER CHARLES-LOUIS CORBET (1758-1808), LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Details
A BRONZE BUST OF NAPOLEON AS FIRST CONSUL
AFTER CHARLES-LOUIS CORBET (1758-1808), LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY
On an integrally cast square socle, with indistinct writing to the reverse
32 in. (81 cm.) high
Provenance
Purchased by Sir Albert Richardson at Avignon, 21 October 1952, and shipped by Messrs Harris.

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Alexandra Cruden
Alexandra Cruden

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Lot Essay

The important plaster bust of Napoleon by Charles-Louis Corbet (1758-1808; now in Rueil-Malmaison, musée nationale du château), of which this bust is a copy, is one the few portraits of Napoleon made before his coup d'état in 1799. In 1798, the sculptor Charles-Louis Corbet was commissioned by the revolutionary government to portray General Bonaparte from life. The image of Napoleon portrayed here is distinctly different from the short-haired, austere man seen up to that point. The more romantic image reflected Napoleon's growing popularity in France at the time and may have played a role in the creation of the personality cult that surrounded the future Emperor.

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