Marie-Louise of Austria as Empress 1810

Curator: Let’s discuss this medal featuring Marie-Louise of Austria as Empress, crafted by Bertrand Andrieu. Editor: It feels austere. The silver is cool, the profile sharp, giving an impression of power, but also distance. Curator: Absolutely. Consider Marie-Louise's position. Her marriage to Napoleon was a political maneuver, solidifying his power, though at the expense of her own agency. Editor: Examining the material, silver was a deliberate choice. It signifies wealth, but also purity and perhaps even a forced innocence in her role as empress. Curator: It also speaks volumes about representation and the construction of an image – how power is visualized and circulated through such objects. Editor: Indeed, it's a fascinating object lesson in how even something as simple as a medal embodies complex political and social dynamics.