The Caesar of Paris : Napoleon Bonaparte, Rome, and the artistic obsession that shaped an empire / Susan Jaques.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jaques, Susan, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821--Influence.

Napoleon.

Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821--Roman influences.

France--Civilization--Roman influences.

France.

Paris (France)--History--1799-1815.

Paris (France).

Imperialism in popular culture--France--History--19th century.

Imperialism in popular culture.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xvi, 576 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm

Edition:

First Pegasus Books edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Pegasus Books, 2018.

Summary:

"Napoleon is one of history's most fascinating figures. But his complex relationship with Rome--both with antiquity and his contemporary conflicts with the Pope and Holy See--have undergone little examination. In The Caesar of Paris, Susan Jaques reveals how Napoleon's dueling fascination and rivalry informed his effort to turn Paris into "the new Rome"--Europe's cultural capital--through architectural and artistic commissions around the city. His initiatives and his aggressive pursuit of antiquities and classical treasures from Italy gave Paris much of the classical beauty we know and adore today. Napoleon had a tradition of appropriating from past military greats to legitimize his regime--Alexander the Great during his invasion of Egypt, Charlemagne during his coronation as emperor, even Frederick the Great when he occupied Berlin. But it was ancient Rome and the Caesars that held the most artistic and political influence and would remain his lodestars. Whether it was the Arc de Triomphe, the Venus de Medici in the Louvre, or the gorgeous works of Antonio Canova, Susan Jaques brings Napoleon to life as never before."--Amazon.com.

Contents:

Introduction

Part one. Directory

Part two. Consulate

Part three. Imperium

Part four. A new Rome

Part five. Principate

Part six. Capital of the Universe

Part seven. Dynasty

Part eight. The fall

Part nine. Legacy.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 481-551) and index.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Schaffer fund bookplate.

ISBN:

1681778696

9781681778693

OCLC:

1023544162