Encyclopedia

Symbols of the First Empire

Eagles, bees, colours and emblems: understanding the visual language of the Napoleonic regime and what these figures say about power and imperial identity.

21 entries

Napoleonic imperial eagle in gilded bronze, wings spread on the fasces of lictors and Jupiter's thunderbolt — military emblem of the First French Empire

Military emblems

The imperial eagle

From the Roman eagle to the standards of the Grande Armée: an emblem of glory, victory and loyalty to the Napoleonic regime.

Imperial bees embroidered in gold on red velvet — detail of Napoleon I's coronation mantle, emblem of the First French Empire

Throne symbolism

The imperial bees

Cicadas or golden bees: the motif adorning the imperial mantle and so many palace objects, between French royal tradition and classical reference.

Imperial French tricolour flag (1804-1815) — blue, white and red with the Great Coat of Arms of the First Empire: eagle, bees, Legion of Honour

National emblems

The imperial tricolour flag

Blue, white, red: the revolutionary flag survives the Empire, enriched by the imperial eagle — emblem of a nation in arms and a conquering state.

Legion of Honour medal — white enameled five-pointed star, oak and laurel wreath, red ribbon, national order founded by Napoleon in 1802

Orders & decorations

The Legion of Honour

Founded in 1802, the Legion of Honour rewards military and civil merit: red ribbon, star and cross become the national order par excellence.

Imperial N of Napoleon I — gilded crowned cipher with laurel wreath, emblematic monogram of the First French Empire

Throne symbolism

The imperial « N »

Crowned cipher, monogram or emblem: Napoleon's « N » permeates palaces, furniture and art objects of the First Empire.

Imperial crown of Napoleon I — gold diadem with antique cameos, purple velvet cap and cross, insignia of the 1804 coronation of the First Empire

Regalia & coronation

The imperial crown

Crown of Charlemagne, gold and enamel: the insignia of the 1804 coronation and the staging of imperial power at Notre-Dame.

French flaming grenade — gold and bronze military insignia, spherical bomb with stylized flames, emblem of artillery and the Imperial Guard

Military emblems

The French flaming grenade

Flaming bomb on shako and colour: emblem of artillery, the Imperial Guard and the fighting elite.

French tricolour cockade — blue, white and red roundel, national emblem worn on shakos and bicornes during the First Empire

National emblems

The tricolour cockade

Blue, white, red: from Revolution to Grande Armée shakos, the cockade identifying the French soldier.

Great Seal of the Empire — double-sided bronze matrix: Napoleon enthroned with sceptre and hand of justice, reverse with imperial coat of arms, eagle, bees and Legion of Honour, First Empire

Seals & coinage

The great seal of the Empire

Napoleon on horseback, eagle and fasces: the official seal authenticating acts of the imperial state.

Imperial coronation mantle — Napoleon enthroned in crimson velvet embroidered with golden bees, ermine lining, sceptre and hand of justice, painting by Ingres (1806), First Empire

Regalia & coronation

The imperial coronation mantle

Ermine, golden bees and purple: the mantle of 2 December 1804, masterpiece of coronation symbolism.

Lictor's fasces — rods bound around an axe, pelta shield with oak and laurel branches, Roman emblem of authority and justice revived under the Napoleonic Empire

Allegories & antiquity

The lictor's fasces

Axe and bundle of rods: Roman emblem of authority, reused on throne, seals and imperial architecture.

Napoleon I's bicorne — black felt hat worn athwart with tricolour cockade, resting on a red velvet cushion, iconic emblem of the First Empire

Imagery of power

The Emperor's bicorne

Worn athwart, hand in waistcoat: the hat become Napoleon Bonaparte's universal silhouette.

Vendôme Column — bronze monument on Place Vendôme in Paris, spiral frieze of the Austerlitz campaign, statue of Napoleon I at the summit, erected in 1810 during the First Empire

Monuments & memory

The Vendôme Column

From Austerlitz bronze to Paris eagle: imperial victory monument at the heart of the capital.

Colour of the 1st Foot Grenadiers Regiment of the Imperial Guard — blue white red tricolour adorned with the imperial eagle, crowned N, flaming grenade and bees, Napoleonic standard of the First Empire

Military emblems

The colours of the Imperial Guard

Old Guard, Middle Guard, Young Guard: eagles, grenades and the motto 'Valour and Discipline' on elite standards.

Order of the Iron Crown insignia — medal with yellow and green ribbon, imperial eagle on the Iron Crown of Lombardy, blue enamel motto, Kingdom of Italy order founded by Napoleon in 1805

Orders & decorations

The Order of the Iron Crown

Kingdom of Italy, crown of Monza: the second great imperial order after the Legion of Honour.

Sceptre and hand of justice — Napoleon I enthroned with the Sceptre of Charlemagne and the hand of justice, regalia of the 1804 coronation, painting by Ingres, First Empire

Regalia & coronation

The sceptre and hand of justice

Regalia of the 1804 coronation: the imperial sceptre and hand of justice, emblems of temporal power and the sovereign's judicial authority.

Imperial globe — Napoleon I in grand coronation robes with the globus cruciger, sceptre, bee-embroidered mantle and Code Napoléon, portrait by Gérard (1805), First Empire

Regalia & coronation

The imperial globe

Globus cruciger of the coronation: gilded sphere and cross, emblem of Christian sovereignty over the world under the First Empire.

Orders & decorations

The Legion of Honour cross

Instituted in 1802, the five-armed cross with white enamel and red ribbon rewards military and civil merit instead of birth.

Regimental ordnance eagle — gilded bronze sculpture by Thomire, imperial eagle with talons gripping Jupiter's thunderbolt, numbered pedestal of the 6th Regiment, flagstaff socket, First Empire

Military emblems

The regimental ordnance eagle

Gilded bronze standard entrusted to each regiment by the law of 28 Floréal Year XII: rallying point, coveted trophy and emblem of regimental identity.

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris — neoclassical monument by Percier and Fontaine, Corinthian columns in pink marble, bronze quadriga on top, imperial gateway between the Louvre and Tuileries, commemorating Austerlitz

Monuments & memory

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

Raised between 1806 and 1808 by Percier and Fontaine, imperial gateway between Louvre and Tuileries, crowned by the bronze quadriga taken from Venice.

Imagery of power

The laureate profile of Napoleon

Head wreathed in laurel after the model of Roman emperors: the profile adorning First Empire coins, medals and cameos from 1807, Napoleon's official portrait until the regime's fall.