Napoleon's Horse. A grey Arabian stallion, he was the gift of the Ottoman Sultan, Selim III, to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. After three years of training, he became one of Napoleon's mounts. An indifferent equestrian, Napoleon preferred good tempered, well trained, smaller mounts, and le Vizir became a favorite. He was present at the Prussian and Polish campaigns. The horse's portrait was painted in 1806 by Pierre Martinet, and he is thought to be Napoleon's mount in a martial painting by J. Meissionier called '1814.' After Napoleon's fall, le Vizir was the horse who accompanied his master in to exile at Elba, he did not, however, join him during the Hundred Days. He died several years after Napoleon, at the age of 33. His caretaker, an imperial stable master and Bonapartist, decided he must preserve the late Emperor's faithful steed, but was concerned such a symbol might be mistreated in post-Napoleonic France. Prepared for taxidermy, the remains of the horse were sent to England, where he was mounted and displayed at the Manchester Natural History Society in 1843. In 1868, the Natural History Society presented it to Napoleon III, who then shipped it to The Louvre. After decades in storage, the horse was relocated to the newly established Musée de l’Armée in 1904 . In 2016, the museum opened a public fund drive for le Vizir's restoration. Donations of over 20,000 euros ensured that the month long work consisting of repairing tears and cracks, re-hydrating the skin, a comprehensive cleaning, and installing a climate-controlled glass display case were successfully carried out. A brand on the stallion's left flank, an N topped with a crown, is still clearly visible.
Napoleon's Horse. A grey Arabian stallion, he was the gift of the Ottoman Sultan, Selim III, to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. After three years of training, he became one of Napoleon's mounts. An indifferent equestrian, Napoleon preferred good tempered, well trained, smaller mounts, and le Vizir became a favorite. He was present at the Prussian and Polish campaigns. The horse's portrait was painted in 1806 by Pierre Martinet, and he is thought to be Napoleon's mount in a martial painting by J. Meissionier called '1814.' After Napoleon's fall, le Vizir was the horse who accompanied his master in to exile at Elba, he did not, however, join him during the Hundred Days. He died several years after Napoleon, at the age of 33. His caretaker, an imperial stable master and Bonapartist, decided he must preserve the late Emperor's faithful steed, but was concerned such a symbol might be mistreated in post-Napoleonic France. Prepared for taxidermy, the remains of the horse were sent to England, where he was mounted and displayed at the Manchester Natural History Society in 1843. In 1868, the Natural History Society presented it to Napoleon III, who then shipped it to The Louvre. After decades in storage, the horse was relocated to the newly established Musée de l’Armée in 1904 . In 2016, the museum opened a public fund drive for le Vizir's restoration. Donations of over 20,000 euros ensured that the month long work consisting of repairing tears and cracks, re-hydrating the skin, a comprehensive cleaning, and installing a climate-controlled glass display case were successfully carried out. A brand on the stallion's left flank, an N topped with a crown, is still clearly visible.
Bio by: Iola
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