Boston Museum Presents Art Of Empire Style

This exhibition is the first comprehensive survey of the decorative arts of the Empire style. Named for its identification with the Napoleonic Empire, the style was the new formal language championed by Napoleon after his coronation in 1804.

Inspired by the classical vocabulary of ancient Rome, it became the embodiment of the new political order and an integral part of Napoleon's program to legitimize his reign and promote the arts and economy of France. Symbols of Power will explore through approximately 185 objects including painting, sculpture, textiles (carpet, costumes, wallpaper), furniture, jewelry, musical instruments, firearms, clocks, and porcelains¯the complex and fascinating political and social forces behind the development of the decorative arts from the Revolution (1789-92) through the Empire.

The exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts, New York, and les Arts Décoratifs, Paris. The national tour is made possible by the Joseph and Sylvia Slifka Foundation, Inc, and an indemnity from the Federal Council of the Arts and the Humanities. Symbols of Power will be on view at the St. Louis Art Museum 6/17 - 9/16, 07, then will travel to the MFA and the Musée des Arts décoratifs-Paris.

The picture shows Portrait of Napoleon I in his Coronation Robes, 1812, the author is Robert Jacques François Faust Lefèvre.

The exhibition runs from October 21, 2007 to January 27, 2008 at Gund Gallery. -- www.mfa.org