Napoleon Bonaparte staat op uit zijn graf 1821 - 1871

Curator: Oh, this print sends chills down my spine – it's pure theater. Editor: Right? Let’s dive in. Here we have "Napoleon Bonaparte emerging from his tomb," an engraving crafted by Jean Pierre Marie Jazet sometime between 1821 and 1871. You can see it residing at the Rijksmuseum. And wow, what a lithographic tour-de-force this print reveals itself to be! It’s incredibly impactful, no? Curator: It truly is! Napoleon, bathed in unearthly light, emerging from a darkness that seems both tomb and a primeval forest. He's carrying a victor’s wreath! The drama, the romantic excess, it's intoxicating. Editor: And such masterful execution given that it’s a print. Consider the physical labor to produce such a detailed engraving and the number of impressions struck. Also, this isn’t just some fantasy. The materials—the paper, the ink—all point to the explosion of print culture after the Napoleonic wars when images could travel across Europe, reshaping his legacy for mass consumption. Curator: It makes me wonder what stories it whispers to those who dare to look deep enough. The light feels significant – is it hope? Or perhaps a grand illusion? He almost looks… serene? Editor: I read that serenity as something else, a calculated, controlled expression. The machinery of celebrity marches onward. Also, who paid for this image? Who was the audience that eagerly snatched them up and to what use did they put such Napoleonic images to? To create furniture decals or paper fashionable fans? The material tells us so much if we can tease it out. Curator: So true. It makes one think of legacy itself as a manufactured item. Napoleon rising up out of that tomb... Maybe Jazet knew he wasn't just capturing a man, but the *idea* of a man. Editor: Exactly, a ghostly icon churned out by the technologies and desires of his age. These romantic flourishes worked their magic again and again throughout the 19th century and they still do. Curator: Absolutely. Makes you think what kind of narratives and what kinds of materials we will leave behind, doesn't it? Editor: Indeed. A grand question to leave us with. Thank you!