The Afterlife of a Face: Napoleon’s Death Masks
Interest in Napoleon’s death mask began almost immediately after his death. Several versions circulated through Europe during the nineteenth century, based on the cast taken on Saint Helena. These plaster impressions became powerful memorial objects, offering an unmediated likeness of the Emperor as his supporters remembered him and as his critics wished to understand him.
By the Victorian period, death masks had become valued as both historical documents and artistic study pieces. They were displayed in libraries, universities and collections devoted to great figures of history, literature and science. Napoleon’s was undoubtedly the most famous of them all.
Gebrüder Micheli, active in Berlin during the nineteenth century, specialised in high quality plaster casts of classical sculpture, portrait busts and notable historic figures. Their work supplied German museums, academies and collectors with accurate and finely finished reproductions at a time when plaster was the primary medium for study pieces and sculptural reference. A Micheli cast is immediately recognisable for its crispness of detail, smooth surface preparation and careful finishing. The firm produced a number of important historical likenesses in the late nineteenth century, and their signed works are today appreciated both for their craftsmanship and for their place in the tradition of academic casting. This example demonstrates the skill associated with the Micheli workshop, presenting Napoleon’s features with clarity and dignity.