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"Magnificent Decoration – Napoleonic Court Art Exhibition" marks the first exhibition of Napoleonic-era court furniture outside of France. It was also the inaugural highlight project of the "French May" festival that year. The exhibition featured over one hundred sets of furniture and decorative objects from the royal palaces of the Napoleonic Empire. Highlights included tables, chairs, beds, cabinets, mantel clocks, and candelabra originally housed in more than ten of Napoleon's residences, as well as Napoleon's throne specially loaned by the French Senate, and his portable folding furniture used during military campaigns.
Curator: Marie-France Dupuy-Baylet
The Mobilier National (French National Furniture and Tapestry Administration) was delighted to collaborate with the Macao Museum of Art to present its most splendid and dazzling collection—the decorative arts furniture of the Napoleonic court.
Certain decorative objects reflected Napoleon's political ideology through their form and details.
Napoleon I quickly established a court life emulating previous monarchies. Empresses Josephine and Marie Louise had their own palaces, and family members resided in prestigious residences, including the Élysée Palace.
While concerned with peace and prosperity, Napoleon's power was built on military prestige. Furniture created for newly acquired palaces, like Laeken Palace near Brussels and the Quirinal Palace in Rome, witnessed the empire's expansion.
Beyond grand halls and offices, palaces contained private apartments. Furniture for bedrooms and boudoirs was equally exquisite, with themed decorations like "ideal love" for bedrooms and swans for bathrooms.
This section featured an ornate mantel set (clock and candelabra) from the era of Napoleon III, Napoleon I's nephew and successor. The clock commemorates key dates from both emperors' reigns.
Source: Macao Museum of Art
Museums & Exhibition Venues
Seac Pai Van Park
