Alexander, Napoleon & Joséphine
Subtitle: a story of friendship, war & art from the Hermitage
By: authors, Ilya Ermolaev [and forty-five others] ; editors-in-chief, Arnoud Bijl, Vincent Boele ; scholarly editor, Georgy Vilinbakhov ; translations, David McKay (DU-EN) [and four others]
Contributors: Hermitage Amsterdam; Gosudarstvennyĭ Ėrmitazh (Russia)
Publisher: Museumshop Hermitage Amsterdam
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Amsterdam, Netherlands]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 173
ISBN-13: 9789078653554; 9789078653547
Copyright date: 2015
Subjects: Exhibitions; History; Friends and associates; Friendship
Other titles: Alexander, Napoleon and Joséphine
Description: "Three great names on the European stage at the beginning of the nineteenth century. With their conflict and friendship, two emperors, Tsar Alexander I and Napoleon Bonaparte, determined the fate of millions Europeans. A fascinating role was played by the intelligent Josephine de Beauharnais, Napoleon's great love, the empress by his side and later a dear friend to Alexander. This book presents thes three historical figures, whose lives were closely intertwined, from the peace treaties signed on a raft in Tilsit in 1807 to themeeting between the Tsar and Josephine in Paris in 1814. Napoleon's Russian campaign of 1812 plays a central role. The war was the beginning of the end. One essay is devoted to the Dutch soldiers who fought with the French. The book portrays Josephine as a muse and companion, but also as an art collector, who left her heirs a fantastic array of works by masters such as Potter, van der Werff, Luini, and Canova. Special attention is devoted to the astonishing story of how her splendid dinner services and furniture found their way to St Petersburg. The book accompanies the exhibition of the same name in the Hermitage Amsterdam, with historical, personal, and exceptional art objects. It includes more than 150 illustrations."--
Notes: Subtitle from cover.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 170-171).

In English; texts translated from Russian and Dutch.

"Catalogue of the exhibition Alexander, Napoleon & Josephine: a Story of Friendship, War and Art from 28 March to 8 November 2015, organised by the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and the Hermitage Amsterdam"--Colophon.
Table of contents: title: "If I were not Napoleon, perhaps I would be Alexander ..." / Victor Faibisovich; title: Napoleon's invasion of Russia / Ilya Ermolaev; title: Alexander at Malmaison. Malmaison in Russia: a chronicle of the Nineteenth Century / Tamara Rappe; title: In the service of Napoleon: Experiences of Dutch Soldiers / Ruud Spruit; title: List of objects; title: Chronology; title: Generals and Commanders.