SACRE OF EMPEROR NAPOLEON I Piece of mantling from the decoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris In purple velvet decorated with 14 bees embroidered in gold thread with metal eyes. 100 x 76 cm Framed under glass. Provenance : - Collection comte de Merinville ; - Then the Alfred Pardée collection, a great American collector of the 1930s; - Former Napoleonic collection of the Prince's Palace of Monaco (2nd sale, lot 143) A pelmet piece from the decoration of Notre-Dame de Paris the day of the Emperor's coronation Commentary: This type of decoration can be found in the upper galleries of the cathedral, as well as on a canopy positioned above the imperial family.