Napoleon Bonaparte [antikvár]

Thanks to Ben Weider's major gift of his Napoleonic collection, the Montreal ¦ Museum of Fine Arts is pleased to inaugúrate on October 23, 2008 the new galleries devoted to Napoleon and to the First Empire. Mr. Weider was committed to having this outstanding collection remain in Montreal. It will henceforth be presented at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, where it will enrich the Museum's collection and Canadian heritage as a whole. These galleries feature a collection of a hundred works and objects, some rare and unique, associated with Napoleon and the arts under the First Empire. Other gifts and loans of works related to this period, in particular objects from the collections of the Honourable Serge Joyal, p.c., o.e., Paul G. Desmarais and Power Corporation of Canada, Roger Prigent, and Élaine Bédard and Alexandre de Bothuri Báthory, are also on display. These galleries will present one of the leading collections devoted to Napoleon in North America. Nathalie Bondil, Director The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts written about him. What has always fascinated me-and prompted me to build this collection-is that he was such an extraordinary individual. He is remembered as a brilliant military leader. Even the Duke of Wellington, the British general who, with support from the Prussian army, won the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, said, "In this age, in any age, Napoleon was the greatest general who ever lived." Napoleon had far-sighted ambitions for France and all of Europe. He had a vision of a unified continent with one code of laws, where all people-regardless of birth-were treated equally and given opportunities to advance based on merit. The European Union of today is an expression of just such a vision. Napoleon was many years ahead of his time. As Emperor, he sought to bring stability and equality to France. He instituted the famous Civil Code, also known as the Napoleonic Code, which is still the basis of French law. He re-established peace with the Catholic Church through the Concordat with Pope Pius VII, which reopened many churches closed since the Revolution. At the same time he recognized the importance of freedom of religion. He took steps to accommodate the civil liberties and religious rights of Jews in France and elsewhere in Europe. Confident in his own abilities, Napoleon had no hesitation in recognizing and promoting men of talent. For example, Michel Ney (1769-1815), originally a common soldier, was made a Marshal and finally a Duke. coalitions, Napoleon was eventually / defeated by the combined forces of his enemies, aided and financed by Britain. " IT IS AN HONOUR AND A PLEASURE to welcome you to these new galleries dedicated to Napoleon. You will discover a collection I have been building for over fifty years, which has no equal anywhere in North America. You will find here many treasures of the Napoleonic period - paintings, bronzes, prints, decorative arts and furnishings -but for me the most meaningful and moving items are the personal possessions of the Emperor. Even in the early years of his military career, Napoléon was able to look beyond stratégie considérations. During the Egyptian campaign of 1798 he brought numerous scientists and historians with his army to unlock the glories of ancient Egypt. The Rosetta Stone, which later proved to be the key to decoding the hieroglyphs, was discovered at this time. It contributed to establishing the scientific basis for studying Egypt's civilization and history. Napoleon was a giant of history, one of the most important figures of the nineteenth century, who helped to define the modern age. It is estimated that a quarter of a million books have been Great Britain, aided at times by allies including Russia, the kingdoms of Germany, Austria, Spain and Holland, took the lead in opposing Napoleon and his regime. For all his military genius and his early victories across Europe, after fighting against seven separate