Geboorte van Napoleon Frans Karel Jozef

About this artwork

Bronzen penning. Voorzijde: borststuk kind binnen omschrift. Keerzijde: Romeinse matrona met sluier, voorstellende Marie Louise houdt jonge Napoleon op arm binnen omschrift; afsnede: jaartal

Art Historical Context

This bronze medal, struck in 1811 by French medallist Bertrand Andrieu, commemorates the birth of Napoleon II, originally named Napoleon Franz Karl Joseph. As the only legitimate son of Napoleon Bonaparte and his second wife, Marie Louise of Austria, the infant represented the hoped-for continuation of the Napoleonic dynasty. Andrieu, a leading figure in Napoleonic medallic art, specialized in small-scale works that blended portraiture with imperial symbolism, helping to disseminate the emperor’s image across Europe. The obverse presents a tender bust of the newborn child, while the reverse p...

About the Artist

Bertrand Andrieu · 1761–1822

French, Bordeaux 1761–1822 Paris