AWE-INSPIRING OBJECTS | Napoleon & the decorative arts with Sylvia Sagona

The flagging luxury industries of lace, silk, porcelain, crystal and jewellery were revived by Napoleon’s return to extravagant Ancien Régime etiquette. Artisans such as Desmaltier, Odiot and Thomire designed exquisite objects which could be exported to the courts of Europe, showcasing France’s cultural superiority and the image of Napoleon. This lecture will explore the hidden messages in Imperial clocks, snuff boxes, tiaras and chandeliers.

Sylvia Sagona is an internationally recognised specialist on 19th century French society. She retired from the French Department at the University of Melbourne to work on historical documentaries for French and Australian television and is currently researching a book on Parisian women in the 19th century and a French documentary on the history of the restaurant in Paris.

Marie-Etienne Nitot, Paris, Cameo tiara (made for Empress Josephine), 1811, collection of the Swedish Royal Family.