A Bonzanigo and a Cartellier for the Château de Malmaison

: 1. Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo (1745-1820)
Portrait of General Bonaparte, c. 1800-1804
Carved wood - 57.5 x 44.5 cm
Rueil-Malmaison, Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison et de Bois-Préau
Photo: Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison et de Bois-Préau; See the image in its page

2/2/24 - Acquisitions - Rueil-Malmaison, Musée des châteaux de Malmaison et Bois-Préau - The effigy is recognisable at first glance, despite the overloaded decor of military trophies paying homage to the new master of Italy, even though Napoleon has not yet emerged from Bonaparte: the rather ungrateful profile of the young conquering general sits in pride of place at the centre of this relief (ill. 1), whose dimensions prevent us from describing it as a true "microsculpture", a field in which the Piedmontese artist Bonzanigo made a speciality of himself at the end of the 18th-century. The Château de Malmaison has therefore been enriched by a new portrait of the young general Napoleon Bonaparte, based on the famous drawing drawn in 1796 by the Milanese engraver Giuseppe Longhi, which, as mentioned in this article, was widely distributed via the print medium. Acquired in 2023 from the dealer Jean-François Heim, this richly carved wooden relief went on sale at Sotheby’s in London in summer 2019 after having belonged to the collections of the Princes of Liechtenstein. Set in an oval medallion decorated with palm and oak leaves, itself framed with trophies recalling recent French victories, this portrait is unsigned but irresistibly reminiscent of Bonzanigo,
whose artistic talent and political flair propelled his Italian career. Born into a family of woodcarvers, he worked for both the royal house of Savoy and the new French power, benefiting greatly from his very good relations with General Jourdan, General Administrator of Piedmont.

: 2. Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo (1745-1820)
Trofeo Militare, 1793-1814
Carved wood, inlaid and marquetry - 172 x 116 x 43 cm

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