Death Mask of Napoleon
Modeled 1821, cast 1833
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
34.9 × 35.6 × 15.2 cm (13 3/4 × 14 × 6 in.)
Classification
bust/head
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
69699
Art Historical Context
Gaze upon the *Death Mask of Napoleon*, poignant bronze cast capturing the final features of the Emperor of the French. Modeled in 1821 by Francesco Antommarchi, Napoleon's physician, on the remote island of St. Helena the exiled leader died at age 51, this lifelike bust measures 34.9 × 35.6 × 15.2 cm. The original plaster impression was later cast in enduring bronze in 1833, preserving Napoleon's stern brow, prominent nose, and thin lips for posterity. Death masks like this were a 19th-century tradition, especially for luminaries, serving as direct molds from the deceased's face to immortali...