French Imperial Eagle Finial

of Emperor Napoléon III, 1852

WHEN THE EAGLE SPREAD ITS WINGS OVER FRANCE AGAIN, 1852

After the proclamation of the first Empire, the eagle with spread wings became the new emblem of France and was placed on top of flagpoles. Based on a design by sculptor Chaudet, these bronze eagle standards cast by Thomire became the victorious symbol of Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grande Armée.

In 1852, when Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte also became Emperor, he took his uncle’s symbol back and asked the romantic Jean-Auguste Barre to reimagine this new emblem. The artist, a student of Cortot and David d'Angers who was both a portraitist and a medalist, delivered a model for this eagle which was both livelier and more detailed than that of Chaudet.
Cast by Marion, then by Vittoz, the eagles were distributed for the first time on the Champ de Mars on May 10, 1852. On this occasion, the President Prince addressed the following speech:

"... Soldiers! Take these eagles back, not as a threat against foreigners, but as the symbol of our independence, the memento of a heroic era, the sign of each regiment’s emblems.
Take these eagles that have so often led our fathers to victory and pledge to defend them to the death, if need be! ... ".

On August 15, 1852, one hundred and ninety copies of this eagle were given to the National Guard. The enlistment of this troop was proclaimed by a January 11, 1852 decree stating that national guards were to be selected by a registration council, whereas officers were appointed by the Prince-President himself. Our eagle was given to the 34th battalion of the National Guard of the Seine, which was attached to the 22nd district of the capital (Saint-Denis) in 1870. This battalion distinguished itself during the siege of Paris from September 1870 to January 1871, as recounted by Sergeant Major M.-P. Marquez:

"It was then that the 34th returned to its Clichy encampment, decimated by diseases, exhausted, dying of hunger and cold, proud of having received the baptism by fire but undaunted and ready to die for France and the Republic."

Being made of bronze, the eagle was a very heavy flagpole finial. This model was therefore replaced in 1854 by a lighter electroplated version. In 1860, new eagle standards were made of aluminum. Still based on a model by Barré, their head was turned to the left. The eagle standard we are presenting is therefore amongst the oldest and rarest of all. To our knowledge, this is the only complete one besides the eagle standard housed in the French Musée de l'Armée. The only difference between them lies in their engraving: "L.N" (Louis-Napoleon) for one, and "N" (Napoleon III) for the other, which probably marks the iconographical evolution of a Prince-President who became Emperor.