A Medal Cabinet for Napoleon
Jean Guillaume Moitte French
Not on view
Although trained and active as a sculptor, Moitte created many designs for the decorative arts as well. He is perhaps best known for the silverware he designed in collaboration with the royal goldsmith Henri Auguste and the French firm Odiot. This medal cabinet, an apparent special commission for Napoleon Bonaparte, stands out from other works in his oeuvre. An inscription on the back reads "Donné à l’Empereur par la Ville," which may indicate that it was a gift from the city of Paris, possibly in honor of Napoleon’s elevation to the rank of emperor in 1804. The drawing is the only known record of this important commission, and it is uncertain if the piece was ever realized.
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