Collection of 132 beautifully coloured lithographic plates illustrating the life of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) in chronological order. The work starts with a double-page title which shows the most important events in Napoleon's life in seven smaller illustrations. The final plate in the collection gives a short summary of his life in illustrations, similar to the title, with his statue depicted triumphantly in the centre. Both of these plates are not present in other copies. The other plates each show one event of Napoleon's life, starting with his birth and ending with his death. Although they are not signed, they were made by Jean-Baptise Madou (1796-1877), one of the most important Belgian artists of the 19th century. The collection was sold in both an uncoloured and a coloured version. The present coloured version is quite rare, as we have only been able to trace one other copy.
The plates depict Napoleon's arrival in France, the Italian Campaign, the Egyptian expedition, 18 Brumaire, Napoleon's coronation, the War of the Third Coalition and the Battle of Austerlitz, the War of the Fourth Coalition, the Peninsular War, the War of the Fifth Coalition, Napoleon's wedding to Marie Louise, the invasion of Russia, the War of the Sixth Coalition, Napoleon's abdication, his exile to Elba, his return and the Battle of Waterloo, his exile to Saint Helena, and his death. All plates are titled and captioned in French. Only the first two are numbered.
The work is part of a group of Romantic works on Napoleon, published in the 1820s and 30s, that glorified his campaigns, victories, and bravery. They were published by the company of Jean-Baptiste Ambroise Marcellin Jobard (1792-1861) in Brussels. A German edition of the present collection appeared in 1830 as Das Leben Napoleons dargestellt in lithographischen Bildern nach den vorzüglichsten Originalgemälden der Französischen Schule. Similar works with illustrations that were clearly inspired by the present plates are Histoire de Napoléon (ca. 1830) by Victor Vincent Adam (1801-1866), who also designed the final plate in the present collection, and Histoire de l'empereur Napoleon (1839), written by Paul-Mathieu Laurent de l'Ardèche (1793-1877) and illustrated by Horace Vernet (1789-1863).
The work has been re-backed, with the original spine laid down, the edges of the boards are slightly scuffed, the front and back are slightly scratched. The plates have been numbered in pencil, the work is slightly foxed throughout, with some leaves affected more than others, the original 2 titles and half titles have been replaced, lacking 2 portraits and 10 plates. The slipcase show slight traces of use. Otherwise in good condition. Bobins II, p. 46.