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A Medal Cabinet for Napoleon

1804–10
Not on view
Although trained and active as a sculptor, Moitte created many designs for the decorative arts as well. He is perhaps best known for the silverware he designed in collaboration with the royal goldsmith Henri Auguste 
and the French firm Odiot. This medal cabinet, an apparent special commission for Napoleon Bonaparte, stands out from other works in his oeuvre. An inscription on the back reads "Donné à l’Empereur par la Ville," which may indicate that it was a gift from the city of Paris, possibly in honor of Napoleon’s elevation to the rank of emperor in 1804. The drawing is the only known record of this important commission, and it is uncertain if the piece was ever realized.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Medal Cabinet for Napoleon
  • Artist: Jean Guillaume Moitte (French, Paris 1746–1810 Paris)
  • Date: 1804–10
  • Medium: Pen and ink and watercolor
  • Dimensions: 36 7/8 x 21 7/8 in. (93.7 x 55.6 cm)
  • Classifications: Drawings, Ornament & Architecture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1998
  • Object Number: 1998.7
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Elevation of a Wall, Jean Guillaume Moitte French, Pen and gray ink, brush and gray wash
Elevation of a Wall
Jean Guillaume Moitte
1776
Studies of Eight Silver Pieces, Jean Guillaume Moitte French, Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash
Studies of Eight Silver Pieces
Jean Guillaume Moitte
n.d.
Bolognese Peasant Girl with a Distaff
Jean Guillaume Moitte
The Death of Seneca, Jean Guillaume Moitte French, Pen and black ink, brush and brown wash, heightened with white gouache on blue paper
The Death of Seneca
Jean Guillaume Moitte
ca. 1770–90
Running Victory, Jean Guillaume Moitte French, Terracotta, French, Paris
Running Victory
Jean Guillaume Moitte
1789

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