Patronage: the Emperor’s barge presented in Brest, at the Ateliers des Capucins (28 May 2021)
Napoleon I’s barge which was permanently deposited at the Musée National de la Marine in Brest at the end of 2018, due to the redevelopment of the Paris site of the multi-site French Martime Museum, has been the subject of a major restoration operation supported by the Fondation Napoléon.
After being stored for almost a year and a half to allow it to acclimatise to the new conditions, in February 2020, the Emperor’s barge was installed on its definitive platform, at the Ateliers des Capucins in Brest. Due to its size, this exceptional boat cannot be exhibited in the Château de Brest with the rest of the collection of the Musée de la Marine.
On the occasion of the inauguration of the 70.8 by Oceanopolis.Brest, a gallery of maritime innovations, the restored vessel was presented to the local authorities by Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, ambassador for the maritime departments. Representatives of the Fondation Napoléon, Irène Delage and Peter Hicks, were welcomed by the museum administrator, Jean-Yves Besselièvre.
After several months of restoration, the Imperial barge can finally be admired from every angle, thanks in particular to an ingenious mirror placed above it. The platform beneath it is decorated with a detailed chronological frieze on one side (port side) and a video device on the other (starboard side).
► Consult the website of the Musée national de la Marine-Brest.
► Visit the 70.8 by Oceanopolis.Brest website.
► Discover the Ateliers des Capucins.
published 7 June 2021
