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Views of Napoleon’s famous canot at the Musee de la Marine, Paris.
Truly a boat fit for an emperor!
On entering the Paris Musée de la Marine, the first thing the visitor sees is Napoleon’s wonderful canot – and it hits you right between the eyes. The gilding is fantastic, even down to the fish that adorn each of the oars.
What do you think – does it represent a challenge to amateur boatbuilders?
The canot was apparently built in secret and used by the emperor and his young empress Marie-Louise to inspect his fleet at what the museum authorities are pleased to call the Port of Anvers in 1810 – though the people who live there call it Antwerpen, while anglophones generally use the name Antwerp. I’ll put up a post about a painting of that event in a few days.
Of course there are lots of other things to see and do in Paris, as the Rough Guide to Paris makes clear!
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