Cicadas or golden bees: the motif adorning the imperial mantle and so many palace objects, between French royal tradition and classical reference.
The “bees” on the coronation mantle drew on antique pieces found at the tomb of Childeric I; they link the French monarchy to a prestigious past that the Empire claimed.
Used again on tapestries, furniture and insignia, they are not a coat of arms in the strict sense but a readily recognizable imperial ornament.
Together with the eagle and national colours, they form part of the visual grammar of the regime and the staging of Napoleonic power.
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