Conservation

The conservation of Napoleonic era heritage is one of the Fondation Napoléon’s central missions. Our collection can only contribute to scholarship on the Napoleonic periods, if the conservation methods are rigorous and the academic studies are expertly carried out.

When a piece is added to our collection (by donation, in a will, or by purchase), it is added to the inventory only after rigorous academic identification. This process means we collect as much information about the object as possible, both technical and historical. This preparatory work is indispensable for the furtherance of knowledge of our periods of interest. We then perform a full photographic campaign on each object so that it can be shared with as many people as possible.

Despite these optimal conservation conditions, the upkeep of the collection requires constant work and a close eye. During and after an exhibition, we make sure that the pieces are as complete as they were when they came into our care. A regular part of our work is restoration. And during the restoration process, restorers often end up learning something new about the object. This heritage work often goes on in tandem with historical research.
In this way, the collection is always alive, never frozen in time. On this page you will find some of the exceptional operations that make up the daily life of the Fondation Napoléon’s collection.

Restoring Maréchal Soult’s Toiletry Nécessaire

Restoration of an outfit designed for the Coronation (Sacre) of Napoleon I

If you require further information, please contact us.

Tortoise-shell Serving Plate, Manufacture de Sèvres © Fondation Napoléon/Patrice Maurin Berthier