Models of the imperial navy

The sea is the facet of the Napoleonic myth forgotten by history.

Yet, from the moment he acceded to power, it was one of Bonaparte's major concerns, and driven by a declared ambition: to build a fleet on a par with its great rival, the Royal Navy.

Unexpectedly, this aspiration took the initial form of the construction of a set of models. Incredible in their detail and refinement, these works bear witness to the excellence of French ship-building. Assembled by Napoleon in Versailles as from 1810, together they form the Trianon Collection.

For the first time, the exhibition "Models of the Imperial Navy" brings together the fifteen models in this magnificent collection, along with plans, archive documentation, portraits of sailors, paintings of naval battles, and naval objects (loudhailers, cutlasses, shotguns, etc.).