~ Death Mask of Napoleon ~
The story of the death mask of Napoleon Bonaparte is a fascinating one to say the least. He died on May 5th, 1821, on the small island of St. Helena where he had been exiled for life after his shattering defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. He was 51 years old. In keeping with the custom at that time for great leaders, a mold was made of Napoleon's face shortly after his passing. Here is where the story gets interesting...
A cast was made by Dr. Francis Burton approximately a day and a half after Napoleon died. But, there was another doctor present at the time of Napoleon’s death, Dr. Antommarchi, who some say was mistakenly credited as the doctor who made the original mold. Immediately after the cast was made, it was stolen. It is believed that a woman named Madame Bertrand, Napoleon’s attendant, took the mold and sailed back to England. Dr. Burton tried but was unsuccessful in getting the cast back.
Antommarchi Mask
Several years later… a death mask turned up,
authenticated by Dr. Antommarchi, as the
original mask of Napoleon. Some experts on
Napoleonic history argue against this masks'
authenticity.
This “Antommarchi” mask had a youthful
look and the shape of the face was bigger and
proportionally different when compared to
the portraits that had been painted of the
Emperor Napoleon. It is the official mask currently on display at Les Invalides in Paris, France, and is located in close proximity to the sarcophagus containing the supposed remains of Napoleon Bonaparte. Some say that this death mask was molded from the face of the Emperor’s valet, Jean-Baptiste Cipriani.
To go further into the story… it is also believed that the bodies were switched and the remains inside the sarcophagus at Les Invalides are not of Napoleon, but those of his valet. Who would have made this switch and more importantly, why?
There is another mask, however, that some historians believe to be the authentic one made from the mold created by Dr. Burton… At the request of the owner of this mask, I performed a detailed analysis.
RUSI Mask
The “RUSI” mask, which stands for the
“Royal United Services Institute”, was on
display in this small military museum in
London for years until 1973, when the
museum closed and the mask was sold.
This mask does not show the face of a young
man, but portrays the countenance of a man
of similar age and proportion to the last known portrait painted of the Emperor (the artwork done by Sir Charles Lock Eastlake on board the ship "Bellerophon") while enroute
to the island of St. Helena.
Close up of face
The similarities between the two cannot be
discounted or overlooked.
To take the analysis of the RUSI mask one step
further… there are some proportional similar-
ities to Napoleon’s descendant, his son, Count
Alexandre Joseph Colonna-Walewski.
Alexandre 
Coincidence?
Is the real death mask the one currently on display in Paris? Or are we looking at the face of Jean-Baptiste Cipriani? Could the bodies really have been switched and if so, where are the real remains of Napoleon Bonaparte?
Could the RUSI mask be genuine? How fascinating to think that it could be... for if it was true, it would change history.
Interesting website: www.napoleon.org
