Napoleon 200 2021: vingt-et-un Napoleons (1) La Mort de Napoleon

For some time I have had in mind to produce a range of representations of Napoleon, some as command bases and others as vignettes. Since we are in 2021, the very last of the Napoleonic bicentennial years, I have the impetus to make it happen.

Each of my representations will be based on or inspired by a famous painting.

On this two hundredth anniversary of the death of the Great Man, I have begun at the end with La Mort de Napoleon. This is inspired by the painting by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse of Napoleon on his death-bed, one hour before his burial.

Napoleon sur son lit de mort une heure avant son ensevelissement, by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse

My version of same.

I am not much of a modeller, but enjoy 'having a go' with the materials that I have to hand. In this case Napoleon's upper body, head and arms are from a Strelets figure (nominally of Joseph, but which, naturally, can easily be either he or Napoleon) while his legs I made from Das modelling clay. Marchand was created using one of the figures from the Imex Stagecoach set and the priest using the body of the lady from the same set (Das clay making up the rest of both of them). The bed was a matchstick and cardboard frame with liberal addition of Das clay.

I am happy enough with how it turned out—although my version of Marchand looks like he belongs on the set of Saturday Night Fever! I considered adding a frame and canopy to the bed, but was not sure how I would do it (and was worried how it might look), plus it meant extra effort for not much benefit and likely detraction. In the end I was swayed by a simpler version which better matched the painting.

So, that's one down and twenty to go.

The next twenty will be in a chronological order, beginning with 1796. Some years will get multiple representations while others won't have any. I want to get them all done this year and with 34 weeks remaining, I can't muck around.

I am pretty confident that I'll get them done as the next three are well underway and four of the later ones are completed or very nearly so.

The next three Napoleons 3/4 done

 

Once completed these representations will be invaluable for my long-term focus on the quasquibicentennial / vigbicentennial (225th and 220th anniversaries) of campaigns from 1796 to 1815, which began this year.

Sites of interest

1. The wonderful website of the Foundation Napoleon (napoleon.org) has a page entitled La Mort de Napoleon that is packed with links to articles and images (including the painting above).

They also have numerous events and articles for 2021 Année Napoléon.

2. Shannon Selin's blog on her website 'Imaging the bounds of history' is packed with thoughtfully produced articles about the Napoleonic era. I cannot recommend it too highly.

Her 'back catalogue' features several posts related to Napoleon's death including:

What were Napoleon’s last words?

How was Napoleon’s death reported?

What happened to Napoleon’s body?

Missing the tree in the forest

I am so focussed on my structured activities1 for the quasquibicentennial of the battles of 1796–1800 (to be followed by the vigbicentennial of 1805–15), as well as other anniversaries in 'les autres periodes', that I completely missed one this year; the bicentennial of Napoleon's death (5/5/212)!

Mort de Napoleon, Steuben (Wikimedia Commons)

Thanks to 'Marius' over at Un Marius sinon rien! for bringing it to my (our) attention and for this marvellous post seeking to introduce the period and the wargaming of it to others.

Bravo 'Marius'!

1Good old serendipity strikes again, having chosen this year to begin the focus of my activities on the anniversaries.

2That date works whether you are reading it my way of the US style.

Men want to be him, women want to be with him

No, not James Bond, but Antoine-Charles-Louis Lasalle!

 

Second-hand delights, newly arrived from Librarie Le Vieux Livre: biography of Lasalle, Tranie's first and second Italian campaigns and two, bonus, issues of Soldats Napoléoniens.

Since late 2019, my purchases have been directed (in the main) at 'resource gathering' for a structured approach to my self-paced reading-wargaming 'study' of the Napoleonic wars (and some other, specific conflicts). My planning moves to implementation this year with the quasquibicentennial—a made-up, latin-derived word for the 225th anniversary—of the 1796 Italian campaign. The long-term plan being to move through 1797–1815 over the next 14 years, switching to the 'vigbicentennial' (220th) from 1805. (So, a clear gamble on longevity!).

I have quite a few books and e-books (pdf files) about Napoleon's first Italian campaign. I was made aware of a book about the campaign by Tranie and Carmigniani by a marvellous write-up of the Battle of Voltri by Michael, aka Wargamerabbit, circa 2012 (along with the resultant game, one of many that he did of battles from the early stages of the Italian campaign). I already have Tranie and Carmigniani's books of the 1805/07 and 1809 campaigns, so was keen to try to find a copy. After a few searches I 'unearthed' a copy at Librarie Le Vieux Livre and got in contact with the proprietor (whom I now know as Luc). In the process I also found that he had Tranie's book about the second Italian campaign. Then I noticed Hourtoulle's biography of Lasalle in his on-line catalogue.

I have been keeping my eye out for a copy of this biography, ever since I saw it mentioned in Hourtoulle, Girbal and Courcelle's "Soldiers and Uniforms of Napoleonic Wars". If you do not have a copy of their book, published by Histoire et Collections and available in English 'from a good book store near you', do yourself a favour! Amongst the glorious illustrations are several of Lasalle (and troops) in Italy, Egypt, Germany, Poland, Spain and, finally, at Wagram. I realise now that these were taken from Hourtoulle and Girbal's biography of the beau sabreur.

I am in a long line of admirers of Lasalle, the 'hussar's hussar'. Famous for his dering-do, bravado, bravery and supposed casual attitude to death. He was, by all accounts a fine, upstanding family man, if one discounts the mistresses. Of course, by the standards of the day, having mistresses did not affect one's association with such an epithet, especially for a military man and extra-especially a light cavalryman.

Hourtoulle begins the book with the famous quote attributed to Lasalle:

Tout hussard qui n'est pas mort à trent ans et un jean-foutre 

Which can be translated as:
"Any hussar who is not dead by the age of 30 is a good-for-nothing"

I have seen the 'jean foutre' in this quote translated as 'malingerer' or 'blackguard', but I am sure that one of our French bloggers will be able to provide a more colourful translation!

This book only arrived today, but on first impressions I am not going to be disappointed. Along with Girbal's beautiful colour plates, there are several black and white drawings, photos of letters, many clear maps and some general orders of battle. The first chapter 'Les origines' is followed by a chapter for each of the campaigns in which Lasalle was involved. I look forward to reading it and to thumbing through it often.

Change in weather brings more opportunities for painting and basing

We had a big change in the weather last week, after many 35ºC+ days in November, December and January, plenty of them 40ºC plus. A cyclone that began off the coast of Broome, threatened but never made land-fall, instead turning into a tropical low. So, while, unfortunately, a large fire was the order of the day just west-north-west of us (which headed close to the north eastern outskirts of Perth, destroying bush, houses and buildings in its wake), the Pilbara coastal areas have been flooded. The low continued down the coast, drawing air from the south which has headed our way, so it has turned freezing. I am talking sub-30ºC, some days barely over 20ºC and minima as low as 11ºC. I threatened to light the fire. This is, of course, all a bit cheeky for northerners in the depths of winter. You can get me back in July. Besides, I thought that the sight of a blue sky in the photo below would cheer you all up.

Pelican's at the permanent pool a little way from us. At this time of year we often walk our dogs along the river bed to this spot. After the rain, the water is looking particularly lovely, not the 'bog of eternal stench' that it can be after hot days. The photo is a bit blurry as I did not want to get any closer and scare them off.

Anyway, while I have done some painting over early summer, the cooler conditions have made it easier to do so. It is especially good not to have to struggle with moths and Rutherglen bugs being attracted by the light! We are forecast to return to mid to high 30s from the weekend, which I love, but it may slow down progress with painting and related activities.

List of books mentioned above

Burgaleta, P (Ed.) (2008) Soldats Napoleoniens: Les troupes françaises, alliées et coalisées: L’Espagne en 1808 (1er partie) Numero 18 - Juin 2008. 'Soldats Napoleoniens' Series (Ed. R Pawly). Éditions de la Revue Napéon, Chaparon, France. 80 pp.

Burgaleta, P (Ed.) (2008) Soldats Napoleoniens: Les troupes françaises, alliées et coalisées: L’Espagne en 1808 (2e partie) Numero 20 - Décembre 2008. 'Soldats Napoleoniens' Series (Ed. R Pawly). Éditions de la Revue Napéon, Chaparon, France. 80 pp.

Hourtoulle, F-G and Girbal, J (1979) Le Général Comte Charles Lasalle, 1775-1809. Copernic, Paris, France. 260 pp.

Hourtoulle, F-G, Girbal, J and Courcelle, P (2004) Soldiers and Uniforms of Napoleonic Wars. Translated by A McKay. Histoire & Collections, Paris, France. 208 pp.

Tranie, J and Carmigniani, JC (1990) Napoléon Bonaparte, 1ère Campagne d'Italie. Éditions Pygmalion, Paris. 265 pp.

Tranie, J and Carmigniani, JC (1991) Napoléon Bonaparte : la deuxième campagne d'Italie, 1800. Éditions Pygmalion, Paris. 266 pp.

Nicholas Chauvin

Nicholas Chauvin was an apocryphal farmer, soldier and patriot of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Chauvin had a distinguished service record and maintained a devotion to Napoleon, despite suffering numerous wounds that left him maimed and disfigured.

Nicholas Chauvin, played by Alexis Manenti in "Le discours d'acceptation glorieux de Nicolas Chauvin"

It is suggested, in the Wikipedia entry, that the legend of Chauvin developed in the Bourbon Restoration and July Monarchy. Whether this was as a longing for the 'glory days' of the First Empire or as a form of anti-Bonapartism is open to question.

Chauvin was popularised in the 1831 in La Cocarde Tricolore, Episode De La Guerre D'Alger; Vaudeville En 3 Actes by brothers Charles-Theodore and Jean-Hippolyte Cogniard  in which he was transformed into a patriot in the Algerian War. In more modern and into contemporary times Chauvin is known for the eponymous word that has come to be used to describe any form of excessive or aggressive patriotism or prejudice.

I have been thinking for some time of producing a blog with this title, so it was interesting to me that when I finally decide to do so it was not long after a short film 'about' Nicholas Chauvin had been released.

Le discours d'acceptation glorieux de Nicolas Chauvin (The Glorious Acceptance of Nicolas Chauvin) is described thus:

During an acceptance speech for a lifetime achievement award, Nicolas Chauvin—soldier-worker, a veteran of the First Army of the French Republic, of the Napoleonic Wars, and the father of the chauvinism that bears his name—launches into a great monologue and looks back at the story of his life. At a turning in the road, an encounter of a spectral nature shakes up his (non)existence (https://en.unifrance.org/movie/46341/the-glorious-acceptance-of-nicolas-chauvin).

Clearly an allegorical, even ironical film that is likely more about modern-day chauvinism in its broadest and nastiest forms than the supposed historical character. I am keen to see it, so I hope that it heads my way soon.