The Caesar of Paris: Napoleon Bonaparte, Rome, and the Artistic Obsession That Shaped an Empire

In this excellent history, journalist and art historian Jaques (The Empress of Art: Catherine the Great and the Transformation of Russia) traces the cultural elements of the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte, whose imperial style in everything from national rituals to coinage was largely modeled after that of ancient Rome. Jaques focuses on architecture, monuments, and the graphic and decorative arts, but also looks at political rituals, military organization, and holidays. (She notes that Napoleon’s birthday, like that of the Roman emperor Augustus, was celebrated as a national feast day.) Jaques explores other political and cultural influences on Napoleon, including Alexander the Great, who inspired him to invade Egypt. She also looks at some of the artists and sculptors who worked for Napoleon, particularly Antonio Canova, who accepted some major and lucrative Napoleonic commissions, including one that depicted him in the guise of Mars not as warrior but as peacemaker. She also recounts his looting of about 300 works of art from the Belvedere Museum in Vienna. Jaques’s rich work of scholarship will delight lovers of art and Napoleon aficionados, as it sheds much new light on a previously underexplored dimension of the French emperor. Illus. Agent: Alice Martell, Martell Agency. (Dec.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misspelled the author's last name.