Model of the Austerlitz Column

mid - late 19th century

A reduction model of the Austerlitz Column (or Vendôme Column) (French, mid-late 19th century) erected at the Place Vendôme, Paris. The column was commissioned by Napoleon I to commemorate the 1805 Battle of Austerlitz. Modeled after Trajan’s Column in Rome, the Austerlitz Column is over 144 ft high and was cast in bronze from 1,200 melted cannons seized from the Russian and Austrian armies. Bas-reliefs spiraling around the column depict the major events of the campaign. The model is topped by a statue of Napoleon dressed in a frock-coat and bi-corner hat. This statue was placed on the original column in 1833. The model stands on conforming square black marble base.

A model such as this would have been a traditional souvenir of an affluent American’s Paris sojourn.

French

bronze

marble

25 1/2" x 6 5/8" x 6 5/8"

Gift of Miss Alice Brayton, 1973.

PSNC.4479a-b