Imposing fireback bearing the Emperor Napoleon I's coat of arms Cast iron 65 x 65 cm "Let us throw a few masses of granite on the soil of France". Napoleon Bonaparte on 8 May 1802 (18 Floréal year X) These plaques were found in the prefectures of the First Empire. When the regime fell, the vast majority of these plaques were melted down or destroyed to be replaced by plaques bearing the royal coat of arms.