MARIE-LOUISE

L'impératriceMarie-Louise

When Napoleon became Emperor of France, the Austrian Emperor was Marie-Antoinette’s nephew, Francis .

Napoleon’s desire for an heir prompted him to divorce Josephine. He crudely said he needed to find “a womb”. He considered one of the sisters of the Russian Tsar but settled on the Austrian Emperor’s eldest daughter Marie-Louise. They were married less than three months after Napoleon divorced Josephine.  Napoleon was 41 and Marie-Louise was 18.

Napoleon, ever conscious of history, chose to meet Marie-Louise at the Palace of Compiègne as her great aunt Marie-Antoinette had met her husband, future Louis XVI, there 40 years earlier.

Compiegne

Always impatient, he changed the plans for receptions and, against the norms, consummated the marriage the first night at Compiègne. (They had been married by proxy before she left Vienna so Napoleon checked with his uncle the Cardinal Fesch whether they were married. He said they were married from a civil viewpoint, although it was questionable from a religious viewpoint. For Napoleon that was good enough.)

The next morning observers commented Napoleon looked twenty years younger. He said to his aide-de-
camp: “My friend, marry a German. They are the best women in the world: sweet, good, innocent and fresh as roses.”

Marie-Louise’ magnificent bed at Compiegne has the baldequin held by cherubs (the theme of the décor is abundance and fertility) and the soft muslin sheets embroidered with gold and the white silk and mother of pearl brocade. The Empress’ apartment was in the original queen’s apartment used by Marie-Antoinette until she decided to set up in a new wing seven years before the French Revolution.
Directly behind the Empress’ bedchamber at Compiègne is a spacious circular boudoir which doubled as a bathroom. It had originally been designed for Josephine the year before the divorce. Josephine did not get to occupy the apartment. The room was designed for optimal lighting. The walls were completely covered in white pleated silk. A bathtub was concealed in a nook opposite the fireplace.

The official marriage ceremonies took place in Saint Cloud (civil ceremony) and Paris (religious ceremony) five days later. 

Napoleon_Marie_Louise_Marriage

Section of the Georges Rouget painting of the religious wedding on Napoleon and Marie-Louise which took place in the Salle Carré of the Louvre, transformed into a chapel by Napoleon’s architect Fontaine. The paintings were removed and the walls were decorated with Gobelins tapestries and gold embroidered crimson and blue fabric. Napoleon’s uncle (his mother’s half brother), Cardinal Fesch performed the ceremony.

Napoleon would have preferred to have the religious ceremony at Notre Dame, setting for his coronation. However the fact that he had imprisoned the Pope and had been excommunicated the year before made this impossible. Half of the cardinals did not attend because they believed the wedding was bigamy as Napoleon’s divorce from Josephine had not been recognised by the church.

Napoleon nevertheless spent almost as much on the lavish ceremony and reception for 1500 people as he had on his coronation over five years earlier.

Marie-Louise mostly used apartments and furniture which had previously belonged to Josephine in the
imperial residences. The decorators quickly adding stitches to the fabrics to convert the “J” for
Josephine to a horn of plenty.

The notable exception was the Tuileries—the main imperial residence in Paris.

The French royal family had been forced to leave Versailles and live at the Tuileries Palace in Paris for
three years during the French Revolution. Marie-Antoinette had chosen not to stay in the former
queen’s apartment, which dated back to Louis XIV’s wife Marie-Thérèse. Marie-Antoinette’s son and
daughter used that apartment and she set up a new apartment on the ground floor.

Napoleon had taken over the former bedchamber of the French Kings from Louis XIV to Louis XVI.Josephine chose to use Marie-Antoinette’s former apartments on the ground floor, which were directly underneath Napoleon’s. A small private staircase connected the two apartments.

When Napoleon married Marie-Louise he decided to redecorate the Empress’ apartment. Josephine’s
bed went to the Imperial furniture storage. Napoleon commissioned artist Pierre-Paul Prud’hon* to
redecorate the new Empress’ apartment which he did in the “neo-Greek” style.

Pierre-Paul Prud’hon—self portrait self portrait
Pierre-Paul Prud'hon self portrait

*Prud’hon had painted Josephine in the park of Malmaison in 1805.

He was commissioned to do decorations for special events such as Napoleon’s coronation and his wedding to Marie-Louise. He also designed the crib for Napoleon’s son.

He became Marie-Louise’s art teacher.

The Prud’hon portrait of Josephine is in the Louvre, opposite the large painting of Napoleon’s coronation
Marie-Louise's Bedchambre at Tuiliers Palace

The Tuileries Palace was destroyed by fire in 1871. The only image we have of Marie-Louise’ bedchamber is the painting by Isabey . It shows Napoleon with his new born son being presented to Marie-Louise in her bed at the Tuileries.

It was painted in 1811, the year the child was born and is currently in a private collection.

Grand Trianon, Versailles
Grand Trianon
The balustrade, all of the chairs and the linen chests in the Empress’ bed chamber at the Grand Trianon belonged to Marie-Louise with the exception of the bed, which was Napoleon’s original bed in the Tuileries. (See a Shared Bed).

The walls and Corinthian columns date from the time Louis XIV occupied this bed chamber.

When Napoleon originally decorated the apartment for his mother, the bedroom was divided into two rooms, with the room on the other side of the columns as an antichamber/salon. It remained like that during the time of Marie-Louise.

Marie-Louise stayed there for the first time four months after arriving in France.

The following year Napoleon and Marie-Louise returned for a series of events.

The Empress’ bedchamber is currently displayed with the room back to the original open plan as it was in the time of Louis XIV. Note the “pommier” chair next to the fireplace.

The boudoir at the Grand Trianon had originally been decorated for Napoleon’s mother in 1805.
Napoleon had ordered the Sèvres vase on the mantlepiece for her then. 

The year of the divorce Josephine had started ordering furniture for the Grand Trianon. She ordered a
sofa, a wing chair, four chairs , fire screen and two footstools. She also moved the mahogany desk she
originally had at the Paris residence she lived in when she first met Napoleon. 

Josephine did not get to use any of it. She did not stay overnight at the Grand Trianon before the
divorce. The boudoir was used by Marie-Louise. She ordered the mahogany tapestry loom with its
bronze decoration for this boudoir.

Marie-Louise used Darras, the same upholsterer/decorator chosen by Josephine for the boudoir furniture to do the “pommiers” and footstools in her bedroom at the Grand Trianon. The leopard skin floor rug is a recurring theme in the Empire residences.
The mahogany desk fold back writing desk has a frieze in gilded bronze and it is decorated with winged female figures on each corner.

Josephine had ordered this mahogany drop leaf writing desk from Jacob Frères for her residence in Paris the year she married Napoleon.

Before leaving for Egypt in 1798 Napoleon bought the house (Josephine had been renting it). In 1805 he gave the house to his cousin Stephanie and one of his officers, Charles Lefebvre-Desnouettes as a wedding gift.

Josephine’s desk went into storage until being sent to the Grand Trianon to be placed in the boudoir.

Petit Trianon

Napoleon originally gave the Petit Trianon to his favourite sister Pauline.

When he married Marie-Louise, he decided to give it to her. He thought it would be appropriate as she
was Marie-Antoinette’s great niece.

In fact, Marie-Louise loved the Petit Trianon, not because of its association with her tragic relative, but
because it reminded her of the Chateau of Laxenbourg in Austria, a smaller private castle in Austria where her father liked to spend time with his children. Like the Petit Trianon, it also had an English Garden, Temple of Diana and so on.

800px-Petit_Trianon_-_Attique_-_Salle_évoquant_la_chambre_de_Marie-Louise
The “Marie-Louise” bedchamber in the attic of the Petit Trianon. The bed is an original Empire style bed from the period, but not the one used by Marie-Louise.

Marie-Louise moved into Marie-Antoinette’s bedchamber which she had completely redecorated.

The simple boiserie walls from Marie-Antoinette’s time were no longer visible. The ceiling was covered
with white satin and gold lame coming from a central gold dome. The wall covering was sky blue satin
with gold braid, the same fabric as on the bed and furniture. The window curtains were white muslin
embroidered with gold. The bed and furniture were gilded wood. 

The bed was decorated with swan’s necks (a little reminiscent of Josephine’s new bed at Malmaison) and the bed’s exterior sky blue silk curtains were held back by gilded winged figures. It was very similar to Marie-Louise’ bed in Compiègne. Compared with Marie-Antoinette’s simple furniture in the bedroom, it
was OTT and far too grand for the setting.

The furniture, with the exception of the bed, in the "Marie-Louise" bedchamber in the attic of the Petit Trianon was in Marie-Louise's bedchamber on the first floor. Currently, the first floor bedchamber displays Marie-Antoinette's original decor.
Front view of the pommier, in its usual position facing the fireplace

When Louis Philippe’s new daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Orleans took over the Petit Trianon she re-used the furniture from Marie-Louise’ bedroom with the exception of the bed, which was sent to the Tuileries Palace. She recovered the sky blue and gold upholstery with the blue which is currently displayed.

Marie-Louise did not disappoint Napoleon and delivered the much hoped for son and heir less than 12
months after their first meeting at Compiègne.

Napoleon chose to celebrate their wedding and the birth of their son with the “Fête” of the Empress in
August 1811 at the Petit Trianon with a gala dinner at the Grand Trianon. Marie-Antoinette’s theatre had
been restored and there was an play and ballet performed there. The Hamlet had also been restored.
Napoleon and Marie-Louise were able to walk around the garden which was filled with the sound of
music.

Napoleon’s plan to restore Versailles as an imperial residence was back in focus. New silk was ordered
from Lyon and a new apartment for the “Children of France” was planned.

Being married to Marie-Antoinette’s niece and having a son and heir—Napoleon was prepared to launch
a new era for Versailles. He would not have enough time to make it happen.

NAPOLEON'S SON