1 / 4
an old picture of a large crowd of people standing in front of a stagean old book with a pink cover sitting on a white surfacean open book with a drawing of a woman in a dress and a crownan old drawing of a horse drawn carriage in front of a row of buildings
Premium Artcurial

Estimate €6,000 - €8,000
Sale commission
Description
CORONATION] [Paris, Imperial Printing House, 1805–1815].. The Coronation of His Majesty Emperor Napoleon, in the Metropolitan Church of Paris, on the 11th of Frimaire, Year XIII. In plano (67 x 47.5 cm), burgundy half-cloth, smooth spine. Title page, half-title, 38 plates by Isabey and Fontaine, all engraved on copper. The illustrations are preceded by 56 pages of text. This work undoubtedly represents one of the Empire’s greatest artistic projects: it involved four draughtsmen and seventeen engravers and spanned a decade. Following on from the works published for the coronations of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI, it aimed to showcase the skill of French engravers and, of course, to glorify the new emperor. The project was led by Jean-Baptiste Isabey, who drew the figures; Charles Percier, who designed the backdrops; and Pierre François Léonard Fontaine, who was responsible for the architecture. The volume highlights all the stages of the coronation ceremony and depicts the costumes of the dignitaries. As Graesse notes, the work was not completed by the time the Empire fell. Spine of the contemporary binding re-covered in burgundy percaline. Heavy foxing. One loose plate; minor, insignificant marginal tears. Bibliography Graesse, VI, 209. Most copies contain either 38 or 39 plates (the digitised copy at the INHA does indeed have 38 plates in addition to the two title pages, whilst the BnF copy has 39 plates in addition to the two title pages, as the plate of the Pope is duplicated).
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Books, Manuscripts & Antique Engravings, including the José Luis Dotti Library
Auction location
Auction time 09/23/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like