LA MADELEINE Napoleon also embraced
Neoclassical architecture as an ideal vehicle for ex-
pressing his imperial authority. For example, the
emperor resumed construction of the church of La
Madeleine (FIG. 30-3) in Paris, which had begun in
1764 but ceased in 1790. However, he converted the
building to a “temple of glory” for France’s imperial
armies. The structure reverted again to a church af-
ter Napoleon’s defeat and long before its completion
in 1842. Designed by Pierre Vignon(1763–1828),
the grandiose Napoleonic temple includes a high
podium and broad flight of stairs leading to a deep
porch in the front. These architectural features, cou-
pled with the Corinthian columns, recall Roman
temples in France, such as the Maison Carrée (FIG.
10-32) at Nîmes, making La Madeleine a symbolic link between the
Napoleonic and Roman empires. Curiously, the building’s classical
shell surrounds an interior covered by a sequence of three domes, a
feature found in Byzantine and Romanesque churches. It is as though
Vignon clothed a traditional church in the costume of pagan Rome.ANTONIO CANOVANeoclassical sculpture also was in vogue
under Napoleon. His favorite sculptor was Antonio Canova
(1757–1822), who somewhat reluctantly left a successful career in Italy
to settle in Paris and serve the emperor. Once in France, Canova be-
came Napoleon’s admirer and made numerous portraits, all in the
Neoclassical style, of the emperor and his family. Perhaps the best
known of these works is the marble
portrait (FIG. 30-4) of Napoleon’s sis-
ter, Pauline Borghese, as Venus. Initially,
Canova had suggested depicting Borghese
as Diana, goddess of the hunt. Pauline,
however, demanded to be shown as
Venus, the goddess of love. Thus, she ap-
pears reclining on a divan and gracefully
holding the golden apple, the symbol of
the goddess’s triumph in the judgment of
Paris. Canova clearly based his work on
Greek statuary—the sensuous pose and
seminude body recall Hellenistic works
such as Venus de Milo(FIG. 5-83)—and
the reclining figure has parallels on Ro-
man sarcophagus lids (FIG. 10-61;com-
pare FIG. 9-5).The French public never got to admire Canova’s portrait, how-
ever. Napoleon had arranged the marriage of his sister to an heir of
the noble Roman Borghese family. Once Pauline was in Rome, her
behavior was less than dignified, and the public gossiped extensively
about her affairs. Her insistence on being portrayed as the goddess of
love reflected her self-perception. Due to his wife’s questionable rep-
utation, Prince Camillo Borghese (1775–1832), the work’s official
patron, kept the sculpture sequestered in the Villa Borghese in
Rome, where it remains today. Borghese allowed relatively few peo-
ple to see it (and then only by torchlight). Still, knowledge of the ex-
istence of the sculpture was widespread and increased the notoriety
of both artist and subject.30-3Pierre Vignon,La Madeleine, Paris, France,
1807–1842.
Napoleon constructed La Madeleine as a “temple
of glory” for his armies. Based on ancient temples
(FIG. 10-32) and Neoclassical in style, Vignon’s design
linked the Napoleonic and Roman empires.30-4Antonio Canova,Pauline
Borghese as Venus,1808. Marble,
6 7 long. Galleria Borghese, Rome.
Canova was Napoleon’s favorite sculptor.
Here, the artist depicted the emperor’s
sister nude—at her request—as the
Roman goddess of love in a marble
statue inspired by classical models.1 ft.780 Chapter 30 EUROPE AND AMERICA, 1800 TO 187030-4ACANOVA,
Cupid and
Psyche,
1787–1793.