#roustam

[empirearchives]

I found this neat portrait of Roustam Raza made by Hortense de Beauharnais! Circa 1800s

Roustam was Napoleon’s bodyguard and valet, and Hortense was Napoleon’s stepdaughter. Roustam was an Armenian Mameluke in Egypt, originally from Tbilisi. He became employed by Napoleon during the Egypt campaign in 1799, following him back to Europe, and remained by his side until Napoleon’s abdication in 1814. He lived the rest of his life in France.

TEFAF Maastricht

[microcosme11]

Napoleon Addressing the 2nd Corps of his Army at the Bridge over the Lech at Augsburg, Germany, on October 12, 1805 by Claude Gautherot, 1808.

wikimedia

[bougredane]

(Print of a painting of a tracing of a drawing) ‘from the Life!’

Napoleon reviewing the Consular Guard (« La Revue du Quintidi », 1802). Lannes is with his back to the viewer on the right, Duroc looking over Napoleon’s shoulder and Berthier between them facing left. Caffarelli is on the far left with his sword drawn and Eugène in the bicorne next to Roustam.

In the background is the no-longer-there Palais des Tuileries (Consular Palace) inscribed with the date 10 August, 1792 (massacre of the Swiss Guards) and still showing damage to the exterior and windows from the explosion of the infernal machine (24 December, 1800).

Mezzotint print by Charles Turner after John James Masquerier, based on a drawing by Isabey. British Museum.

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Some trickery was apparently involved in its London promotion (from the curator’s notes) :

« Masquerier states that he was in Paris In December/January 1800/01 and obtained permission to paint Napoleon, making the painting the 'Only Likeness, in London, painted from the Life'. Turner responds to this with the annotation, 'False!!!!' noting as follows: 'Masquerier obtain'd the composition of this Picture by giving the Valet of Isabey the Painter a premium to let him trace His drawing of the same subject from which tracing a small picture was made here, & the large one painted from that. The head of Napoleon was from a small china bust; all the officers were copied from Prints he brought over. He never saw Buonaparte or any of his Generals. The large Picture was painted in my Room in Warren Street, & I painted all the Bridles, Saddles; & Mr H.B. Chalon the horses »

(This isn’t the sketch itself, just the outline key for how to « read » the print. With half the names misspelt.)

[napoleondidthat]

Napoleon stops the Pope to show off his handsome doggos. 

Roustam photobombs.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Super niche Napoleonic memes are the only memes worth making. 

[empirearchives]

So Roustam wasn’t told about the 18 Brumaire thing ahead of time. He was told that Napoleon and Duroc “went on a walk” in Paris and then randomly both got murdered 😭😭 Apparently Josephine even pretended(?) to pass out on the sofa. So Roustam gets told this and he starts sobbing and everyone else was really upset because they all thought Napoleon and Duroc were dead. Then later he sees Napoleon randomly show up on a horse and he’s still alive. So everyone who had been crying then starts celebrating like hooray you’re not dead… lmaooo

[empirearchives]

Roustam’s first impression and description of Napoleon:

[empirearchives]

Napoleon almost becomes a victim of friendly fire

From the memoir of Roustam Raza:

My wife was seven months pregnant when I left for the Prussian and Polish campaign, which lasted eleven months. The first major battle was fought at Jena, and the entire Prussian army was destroyed in a matter of days, but before the battle, at night, the Emperor himself wanted to visit the outposts, accompanied by two marshals, Prince Borghese, Marshal Duroc, and me who never left his side.

The Emperor visited the left wing of the army, and he wanted to go past the sentries to visit the right. One moment, we’d reached the end of the line, and they were firing at the Emperor. They thought we were the enemy. We all surrounded the Emperor on all sides, so that the bullets wouldn’t hit him, and we shouted: “Cease fire, we are French!” Finally, the firing ceased, and we returned to our ranks, in no danger whatsoever.

Source: Souvenirs de Roustam, mamelouck de Napoléon Ier