Civic Crest of Nijmegen, for Louis Napoleon

Embroidered cushion for the keys of Nijmegen, presented to Louis Napoleon on 24 July 1808. Embroidered cushion for the keys of Nijmegen, presented to Louis Napoleon on 24 July 1808. Copyright Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmegen, acc. no. C.II.4.I.

The Museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen, Gelderland, the Netherlands, houses an embroidered cushion from the town of Nijmegen, Gelderland, which was used to present the keys of the town to Louis Napoleon (1778-1846) when he visited the place on 24 July 1808. The keys were presented by the Nijmegen mayor, J.E. Sanders van Well (1739-1814).

The cushion is made of red velvet, with gold thread embroidery. The civic crest is held by a black and a white lion. A crown is embroidered on top of the crest. The cushion measures 47 x 47 cm.

Louis Napoleon, the brother of Emperor Napoleon and the father of the later Napoleon III, was made King of Holland in 1806, but was forced by his brother to abdicate when the Netherlands were annexed by France in 1810. Louis Napoleon was the first King of The Netherlands, replacing the republican system that had been prevalent since the late sixteenth century. With the fall of Napoleon in 1813, the Netherlands regained its independence, but remained a monarchy, led by the House of Orange, which had played an important role in the country since 1568, when the Netherlands rose against the Spanish occupation.

See also the wedding ring covers dated 1827 now in the collection of the Textile Research Centre (TRC), Leiden.

Collectie Gelderland online catalogue (retrieved 12 November 2016).

WV

Last modified on Saturday, 04 March 2017 20:55