Oprichting van zes "Maisons Imperiales" voor wezen van officieren en ridders van het Legion d'Honneur, ter ere van Napoleon I Bonaparte

About this artwork

Bronzen penning. Voorzijde: borststuk man met lauwerkrans binnen omschrift. Keerzijde: meisje met boek op haar schoot zit tegen graftombe, versierd met orde van Legion d'Honneur, onder laurierboom, waarvan een tak krans vormt; aan haar voeten gevulde mand; afsnede: opschrift

Art Historical Context

This bronze medal, struck in 1810 by French medallist Bertrand Andrieu, commemorates Napoleon Bonaparte’s founding of six Imperial Houses (Maisons Impériales) for the orphans of officers and knights of the Legion of Honour. Measuring just four centimetres across, the piece exemplifies the Napoleonic regime’s sophisticated use of small-scale art to broadcast imperial benevolence and military loyalty across Europe. On the obverse, a laurel-wreathed portrait of Napoleon asserts his authority, while the reverse presents an allegorical scene: a young girl sits with an open book beside a tomb adorned with the Legion’s cross, sheltered by a laurel tree whose branch forms a victory wreath. The filled basket at her feet evokes the material care now provided by the state. Such imagery transforms private grief into a public narrative of paternal protection. Andrieu’s crisp striking technique, typical of early-nineteenth-century French medallic art, allowed these portable monuments to circulate widely, reinforcing Napoleon’s image as both conqueror and guardian of his soldiers’ families.

About the Artist

Bertrand Andrieu · 1761–1822

French, Bordeaux 1761–1822 Paris