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Article: Napoleon's bicentenary.(Report from Europe)
- Article from:
- The Magazine Antiques
- Article date:
- December 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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On December 2, 1804, for the first time in centuries, France had an emperor. The ceremony for Napoleon Bonaparte's coronation was one of the most elaborate ever held anywhere for any occasion.
The setting was the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, which was in itself a political statement, since coronations for the kings of France had almost always been held at Reims Cathedral. There were two masters of ceremonies. Temporary decorations were designed by the architects Charles Percier and Pierre Francois Leonard Fontaine, and the costumes by Jean Baptiste Isabey. Music for the occasion was composed by Giovanni Paisiello and Jean Francois Le Sueur.
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