Pierre-Benoit Marcion; gilding by Chatard (the Emperor’s gilder) - 1809
Fontainebleau was one of Napoléon’s favorite residences. Although he was not given to great pomp and ceremony, he knew the value of luxury in impressing his subjects. As he said, “A newly established government must dazzle and astonish.” No grandeur however, could ease the crushing blow of losing his beloved Empire and all that he had worked to achieve.
