Sun. Jan. 27

Last call! How would you like to sit in one of Napoleon’s rich red velvet thrones? Chances are pretty good the people at the Museum of Fine Arts wouldn’t be too crazy about that idea, but you can look at it – it being one of the four surviving throes from the little guy who ruled France during much of the early 19th century. It’s one of nearly 200 works of art – including paintings, sculpture, costumes, jewelry, silver and furniture featured in “Symbols of Power: Napoleon and the Art of the Empire Style, 1800-1815,” which is up through January 27 in the Gund Gallery. The art, which were at his four palaces, includes the huge coronation painting “Napoleon I on His Imperial Throne” by Jean-Auguste-Dominque Ingres, done in 1806. Also on view: Napoleon’s sword. Again, the MFA folks probably don’t want you swinging this about.
We know about Napoleon’s rise to power during the Revolution, where many lost their heads. What do we know about his artistic sense? “As emperor, Napoleon allied himself with the great civilizations of the past, especially those of classical Rome and Greece and ancient Egypt,” said MFA director Malcolm Rogers. It was a way, Rogers said, of “legitimizing his reign and creating an illusion of permanence, grandeur and monumentality.”  No one foresaw Waterloo or figured Napoleon would be exiled on an island at that point.
There’s also art collected by his wife Josephine. Most of this hasn’t been seen outside of France, and 80 percent of the work has indeed been lent by French museums. Admission to the exhibit is $23. There are a variety of special programs planned throughout the run, so check the website below for details. Oh, by the way, if you’re named “Napoleon,” “Josephine” or “Bonaparte” – and can prove it with an ID – you get in free.

465 Huntington Ave., 800-440-6975  www.mfa.org