Object details
Object number
P17s13
Creator(s)
Title
For the Good of the Nation [Ragione di Stato]: Divorce of Napoleon and Josephine
Date
about 1881
Medium
Etching on Chine collé
Dimensions
34 x 47.3 cm (13 3/8 x 18 5/8 in.)
Signatures, inscriptions, and markings
Signed in plate (lower left): F. Didioni
Inscribed in plate (lower left): F. Didioni dip.
Inscribed in plate (lower center): Ragione Di Stato / C. Lovera imp
Inscribed (lower right): A. Gilli inc.
Provenance
Entered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection at an unknown date.
Commentary
While attending finishing school in Paris during the 1850s, Isabella Stewart Gardner was captivated by French literature, culture, and history. Of particular note is her interest in the former French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. This etching by Francesco Didioni, aptly titled For the Good of the Nation, depicts the divorce of Napoleon and his wife Josephine. In 1809, Napoleon informed Josephine that--in the interest of France--he must divorce her in order to find a wife that could give him an heir. Although he promptly remarried, which resulted in a male heir, Napoleon insisted that Josephine retain the title of empress and remained dedicated to her the rest of his life. Her name is said to be the final word he spoke on his deathbed in 1821.
Bibliography
Kathleen King,"Relics of an Emperor: Napoleon Bonaparte," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 9 August 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/relics-emperor-napoleon-bonaparte-gardner-museum
Gallery
Short Gallery
Rights and reproductions
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