48.8 F
London

Napoleon statue in London at Aspley House conserved ahead of 200th anniversary of his death

London Forecast

London
scattered clouds
48.8 ° F
50.1 °
46.5 °
84 %
4.2mph
40 %
Mon
50 °
Tue
52 °
Wed
48 °
Thu
42 °
Fri
42 °
USD - United States Dollar
GBP
1.25
EUR
1.08
CAD
0.74
AUD
0.66

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Popular

The Tube: 10 Interesting Facts about the Circle Line

The Circle Line is one of London’s oldest Tube...

Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See in the Tate Modern Art Museum

Housed in the former Bankside Power Station, the Tate...

London’s Best Christmas Markets and Fairs for 2023

London is a magical place to be during the...

The Tube – The Six Oldest Underground Stations Still in Use

It’s difficult to imagine a time when you couldn’t...

New London Street Slang – Fun British Slang

English is a forever evolving language. It changes the...

How London Became the United Kingdom’s Capital

Long one of the greatest cities in the world;...

A Brief History and Overview of Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

One of the best things about the holiday season...

Share

A statue and death mask of Napoleon kept at the former London residence of the Duke of Wellington have been cleaned and conserved ahead of the 200th anniversary of the French emperor’s death.

The mask of the military leader’s face was made upon his death on May 5, 1821, while the Napoleon As Mars The Peacemaker statue was sculpted between 1802 and 1806.

English Heritage staff at Apsley House near Hyde Park have worked to keep the items in good condition ahead of the site’s reopening later this month.

Wednesday will mark 200 years since Napoleon died at the age of 51.

Staff have worked to keep the statue in good condition
Staff have worked to keep the statue in good condition (Christopher Ison/English Heritage)

The bronze death mask is a direct impression of Napoleon’s face when he died.

The statue, which stands at over 11ft tall, was crafted by Italian artist Antonio Canova and depicts the 5ft 6in Napoleon as the Roman god Mars holding an orb in his right hand and a staff in his left.

It did not arrive in Paris until 1811, but Napoleon did not like the statue, declaring it “too athletic,” and it was never displayed in public.

The bronze face mask is an impression of Napoleon's face when he died
The bronze face mask is an impression of Napoleon’s face when he died (Christopher Ison/English Heritage)

After the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, in which Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington, it was bought by the British Government and given to Wellington as a gift.

It is displayed at the foot of the principal staircase at Apsley House, which will reopen to the public on Wednesday, May 19.

Londontopia Staff
Author: Londontopia Staff

This article was submitted and adapted by Londontopia Staff and used with a license from the Press Association UK (PA Media). All images and content used with permission.