Author Description

This is a numbered, limited edition of 1,000 copies. There will not be another printing. During his time in power Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned hundreds of medals to be struck to mark the course of his reign; from conquests, successful treaties, and marriage, to the introduction of the smallpox vaccination and an unsuccessful attempt on his own life. Napoleon’s Medals sheds light on this neglected artistic achievement; how Napoleon’s artists displayed the stolen art from his Italian campaign on the medals to glorify his conquests, and used classical models to clothe him with heroic attributes. No previous publication has combined both detailed commentary and colour illustration in addressing this fascinating topic. Richard A. Todd provides a history of Napoleon’s reign through the medallions themselves, aided by insights from Napoleon’s letters, those of his artistic director Vivant Denon, and Le Moniteur, the newspaper of the day.