THE NAPOLEONIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER January-February 2018 Newsletter Part 1 Girodet’s Napoleon 1 10 interesting facts about Napoleon 3 The rediscovery of Las Cases 7 The Marquis de Sade saved for the nation 9 A Van Eyck & a Scottish looter 11 In Clausewitz’s Shadow 13 Gros at work 17 Pauline’s last villa 20 A tour of Italy 24 Our 2018 Conference will be in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia September 28-30. GIRODET’S NAPOLEON We’re going back in time. Join us for dinners in historic Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy- Girodet (1767-1824) made a taverns, great talks, a tour of Trioson did this portrait of Napo- number of portraits of Napoleon, Yorktown, & much more. leon with a sculpted look. I missed some monumental, some drawn We will be based at the it when it was sold at Christies’ like this one. Williamsburg Woodlands London branch last June. He did it Girodet, as a pupil of Jacques- Hotel, but other hotel choices in black and white chalk, and grey Louis David, learned to do the are available. and brown wash. It’s on paper, great dramatic paintings. You prob- 14¼ by 10½ inches, and signed ably know him for his Oath of the Check and dated ‘GTR.1812.’ at its lower Horatii, or Ossian receiving the napoleonichistoricalsociety.org left. It went for $13,900 (including ghosts of the fallen French Heroes, for updates. buyer’s premium). or the Revolt in Cairo. His theat- January-February 2018 Part 1 Page 1 THE NAPOLEONIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER rical style was much admired. His portraits are just as interesting, especially as he did many Bonapartes. He did at least one without ever seeing his subject, as when he painted Napo- leon’s father. By 1812, his powers were waning. His habit of working at night was taking a toll on his constitution. Let’s hope the other excesses that were also blamed were more fun. At a sale of his effects after his death, some of his drawings realized enormous prices. Above is his portrait of Josephine’s daughter, Hortense. We forget now what a big deal Hortense was during the Empire. Girodet painted this some- time between 1805 and 1809. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has it now. With fall of Napoleon, the Bourbons were the ones supporting artists. Louis XVIII commissioned this portrait, dated to 1816. He wanted something to buttress the embarrassing lack of heroic figures in the Bourbon line-up. This one, at left, was ideal. It’s of a royalist martyr, Jacques Cathelineau, a leader of the Vendée revolt. No matter Girodet never saw Cathelineau. Maybe that, and his decline, is the reason it doesn’t seem as inspired as the picture of Hortense. Perhaps Girodet just did better with pretty girls. This painting is now in the museum of the Vendean revolt in Cholet. January-February 2018 Part 1 Page 2 THE NAPOLEONIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT NAPOLEON by Shannon Selin There’s no shortage of Napoleon dressing, “his handkerchief, his It was usually the most laughable Bonaparte facts. Here are 10 you snuffbox, and a little shell box filled thing in the world to see him play may not be aware of. They struck with licorice flavored with aniseed at any game whatever: he, whose me as interesting when I was and cut very fine, were handed to quick perception and prompt judg- researching Napoleon in America.* him.” 3 ment immediately seized on and Betsy Balcombe attributed Napo- mastered everything else which 1. Napoleon couldn’t carry a leon’s rather discolored teeth to “his came in his way, was, curiously tune. constant habit of eating liquorice, enough, never able to understand Louis-Joseph Marchand, Napo- of which he always kept a supply in the manoeuvres of any game, leon’s valet from 1814 to 1821, his waistcoat pocket.” 4 however simple. Thus, his only wrote: According to Hortense Bertrand, resource was to cheat.7 [T]he Emperor, should he start to the daughter of General Henri French diplomat Louis Antoine sing, which he sometimes did while Bertrand and his wife Fanny, Napo- Fauvelet de Bourienne, Napo- thinking of something else…was leon carried a mixture of licorice- leon’s one-time private secretary, rarely in tune and would repeat the powder and brown sugar in his observed: same words for 15 minutes.1 pockets as a remedy for indiges- In general he was not fond of cards; Betsy Balcombe, whom Napo- tion.5 He also used it as a remedy but if he did play, Vingt-et-un was leon befriended when he was in for colds. his favorite game, because it is exile on St. Helena, described how more rapid than many others, and he regaled her with “Vive Henri because, in short, it afforded him Quatre.” an opportunity of cheating. For He began to hum the air, became example, he would ask for a card; abstracted, and, leaving his seat, if it proved a bad one he would say marched round the room, keeping nothing, but lay it down on the table time to the song he was singing… and wait till the dealer had drawn In fact Napoleon’s voice was most his. If the dealer produced a good unmusical, nor do I think he had card, then Bonaparte would throw any ear for music; for neither on aside his hand, without showing this occasion, nor in any of his it, and give up his stake. If, on the subsequent attempts at singing, contrary, the dealer’s card made could I ever discover what tune it Hortense Bertrand him exceed twenty-one, Bonaparte was he was executing.2 When Napoleon was dying, he also threw his cards aside without wanted to drink only licorice- showing them, and asked for the 2. Napoleon loved licorice. flavoured water. payment of his stake. He was much Louis Constant Wairy, Napoleon’s He asked me for a small bottle and diverted by these little tricks, espe- valet from 1800 to 1814, notes some licorice, poured a small quan- cially when they were played off that every morning, after Napo- tity, and told me to fill it with water, undetected; and I confess that even leon finished washing, shaving and adding that in the future he wished then we were courteous enough to have no other beverage but that.6 to humour him, and wink at his * Napoleon in America is the title cheating.8 of Shannon’s excellent historical 3. Napoleon cheated at cards. Napoleon’s mother Letizia would novel. This article was taked from Napoleon hated to lose at cards, call him on such stunts, as noted in Shannon’s blog shannonselin.com, chess or any other game, and took this description of evenings during where you will find many other pains to avoid doing so. Laure Napoleon’s exile on Elba: excellent articles. Junot wrote: When Napoleon was losing at cards January-February 2018 Part 1 Page 3 THE NAPOLEONIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 4. Napoleon liked snuff. 5. Napoleon loved long, hot baths. This was commented on by many Again, this was something observers, though they differed as frequently commented on. In to whether Napoleon was a prodi- Bourienne’s words: gious snuff-taker or simply a sloppy His partiality for the bath he one. mistook for a necessity. He would Constant wrote: usually remain in the bath two It has been said that His Majesty hours, during which time I used to took a great deal of tobacco, and read to him extracts from the jour- that in order to be able to take it nals and pamphlets of the day, for more quickly and frequently, he put he was anxious to hear and know it in a waistcoat pocket lined with all that was going on. While in the skin for this purpose; these are so bath, he was continually turning many errors; the Emperor never put on the warm water, to raise the tobacco in anything but his snuff- temperature, so that I was some- boxes, and though he consumed a times enveloped in such a dense Betsy Balcombe great deal, he took but very little. vapor that I could not see to read, He brought his pinch to his nostrils and was obliged to open the door.13 he cheated without scruple, and as if simply to smell it, and then all submitted with such grace as he let it fall. It is true that the 6. Napoleon had beautiful hands. they could muster, except the stern place where he had been was often Napoleon was proud of his hands, Corsican lady, who in her decided covered with it; but his handker- and he took great care of his finger- tone would say, ‘Napoleon, you are chiefs, incontrovertible witnesses nails. Betsy Balcombe wrote: cheating.’ To this he would reply: in such matters, were scarcely His hand was the fattest and pret- ‘Madame, you are rich, you can soiled… He often contented himself tiest in the word; his knuckles afford to lose, but I am poor and with putting an open snuff-box dimpled like those of a baby, must win.’9 under his nose to breathe the odor his fingers taper and beautifully The young Betsy Balcombe also of the tobacco it contained… His formed, and his nails perfect.14 challenged Napoleon during a snuff was raped very large and was Napoleon’s valet Louis Étienne game of whist: usually composed of several kinds Saint-Denis thought Napoleon’s Peeping under his cards as they of tobacco mixed together.
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