The Russian contribution to the Edifi cation of the Napoleon Tombstone in Paris

Abstract

The crypt and sarcophagus of Napoleon in the Dôme des Invalids in Paris which were constructed by an Italian-born French architect and designer Louis Tullius Joachim Visconti evince an extraordinarily expressive and harmonic colour combination in French and Italian marbles with those of so called porphyries in Napoleon’s tombstone (they are really green andesite from France and purple quartzite from Russia). Works continued over a twenty year period (1840–1861) which saw in France three Kings, one Republic and one Emperor, and in Russia two emperors. Every political change in France exerted critical influence on the continuation of these works. The events surrounding the constructing the crypt and tombstone, applying steam machinery to cut and polish the sarcophagus, the budgets of the work is described from archival documents in detail. J.-F. Bujatti (an Italian from St Petersburg) played an important role in the quarrying of the Russian ornamental stone and in its transport to Paris. Refs 16. Figs 3.