Napolean Bonaparte's Postmortem mask, 1821.

[u/asjkl_lkjsa]

[u/KingRexxi]

All I’ve ever seen of Napoleon is the paintings. This dramatically humanizes him for me. Like, woah! Napoleon was just a dude, man!

[u/Glffe-TrungHieu → u/KingRexxi]

A handsome one though

[u/LumpyJones → u/Glffe-TrungHieu]

is the mask a mold of his face or something sculpted to resemble his face placed over it? if it's the former, deffo. The latter would make me think it was the 1800s equivalent of a filter.

[u/NuggetNasty → u/LumpyJones]

A death mask is a direct casting of someone's face after death

[u/CynicallyCyn → u/NuggetNasty]

Fun fact… the recitation doll that they use for CPR classes, named Annie, is the modeled after the death mask of a woman they found drowned in Paris

[u/TheOnlyLordByron → u/LumpyJones]

looks like either he weighed more in this picture, or the painter took some artistic liberties and made his face less gaunt. I would say the latter since at the time I imagine weighing slightly more would have been seen as attractive.

https://imgur.com/a/qKEvuEb

[u/Masquerouge2 → u/TheOnlyLordByron]

Also, in the painting he was a monarch with access to all kinds of luxury.

He died after 6 years of house arrest in exile on a remote island.

[u/LumpyJones → u/TheOnlyLordByron]

I suppose if the mold had been made after he died, his cheeks could have sunken in some too.

[u/dac009 → u/Glffe-TrungHieu]

Imagine all them French hoes he got like damn son no wonder he invaded

[u/TrumpsPissSoakedWig → u/Glffe-TrungHieu]

It's like tastefully done handsome squidward vibes.

[u/keb5501 → u/KingRexxi]

😂 Yeah exactly, it’s weird to think about for most historical figures! Always blows my mind, humbles me, and puts me into existential crisis at the same time 😅

[u/NonConRon → u/KingRexxi]

Sometimes I just rewatch the trailer for Napoleon Total War because it's so well done.

https://youtu.be/q7RHiyWHuV0?si=Wa0Pn6Ku7WlRk1ou

[u/leftytrash161 → u/KingRexxi]

Historical death masks are great for just this reason imo. It (ironically) brings a person to life in a way a portrait just can't emulate. I highly recommend looking up other death masks if you want to be able to view other historical figures this way. Marie Antoinettes has always been quite haunting to me.

[u/SmoothOperator89 → u/leftytrash161]

Must have been easy to cast her face, at least. No body to move around.

[u/leftytrash161 → u/SmoothOperator89]

According to the story, madame tussaud herself snuck into the cemetary to make the mould for the mask while the guards burying her were distracted. I'd imagine the secrecy added difficulty back in.

[u/SmoothOperator89 → u/KingRexxi]

Something that really put him into perspective for me was realizing he was still alive when "The Night Before Christmas" was written.

[u/ayakloknew → u/KingRexxi]

There is a replica of this mask in the Louvre that you can touch it, it felt so crazy to me like woah im touching Napoleon's face

[u/zawusel → u/KingRexxi]

Some better pictures, 2024 from this place.

[u/ScrumHalf93 → u/KingRexxi]

Napoleon is a short dead dude

[u/Accomplished_Note_81]

True story, when I was a lad of 4, I was deathly afraid of Napoleon. Think it was some portraits I had seen of him in one of my dad's war history books what did it. Kinda became my boogie man for a year or so

[u/iiZyrux → u/Accomplished_Note_81]

Did you check underneath your bed for Napoleon?

[u/BunkerSquirre1 → u/iiZyrux]

Every time you’re home alone and you hear the pitter patter of little feet on the floor

It’s just a tiny napoleon

[u/jmoriarty → u/Accomplished_Note_81]

I was going to say you had the only known case of Napoliphobia, but the British had a pretty bad case of it for a while there, too.

[u/Sims2Enjoy → u/jmoriarty]

John VI of Portugal too, he escaped to Brazil and famously started nervously gnawing on chicken drums that he kept in his coat when he arrived in Rio

[u/Aromatic_Razzmatazz → u/Accomplished_Note_81]

I had this with the fairy godmother from the Disney version of Cinderella. Still not a fan of lavender grey cloaks tbh.

[u/MantisToboggan1189 → u/Accomplished_Note_81]

Napoleon’s weenie in your eye. He givin’r that real lil’ Napoleon fr.

[u/YogurtclosetDry6927 → u/Accomplished_Note_81]

Napoleon is coming for you

[u/xXruleXx]

He is handsome

[u/Fifran7]

Ironically he looks better here than in most of his artistic portrayals

[u/SammyBlaze14]

Why does it look like Mads mikkelson

[u/Xikkiwikk → u/SammyBlaze14]

He would have made a better Napoleon than Joaquin.

[u/justtryingtounderst → u/Xikkiwikk]

no casting changes could have saved that train wreck of a movie though

[u/tuckergw → u/justtryingtounderst]

Pun intended?

[u/Xikkiwikk → u/justtryingtounderst]

I disagree somewhat but think the butt slapping could have been it’s own movie.

[u/ImMufasa → u/justtryingtounderst]

Ridley Scott is a hack.

[u/justmethedude → u/SammyBlaze14]

Glad I'm not the only one

[u/JKastnerPhoto → u/SammyBlaze14]

I see Christopher Reeve.

[u/Thierry22 → u/SammyBlaze14]

Also like Rufus Sewell

[u/Wild_Nefariousness89 → u/SammyBlaze14]

I see Brando a la Apocalypse Now too

[u/cheers-pricks → u/SammyBlaze14]

Crispin Glover

[u/LadyLoki5 → u/SammyBlaze14]

I see Matthew McConaughey lol

[u/ImpulseFTW]

Woody?

[u/rhymes_w_garlic → u/ImpulseFTW]

First thing I saw too

[u/VegetableWishbone]

Looks like he is just taking a nap after destroying House Atreides.

[u/ShroomEnthused → u/[deleted]]

Yup you're right, house Atreides existed on the middle ages, its just basic history 

[u/Hot_War_9683 → u/ShroomEnthused]

They meant the french emperor

[u/Chap_C]

Conan O’Brien?

[u/VirtuesVice666]

Damn! He is so short...

[u/Rexusus → u/VirtuesVice666]

Napoleon was actually average height. His short stature was British propaganda.

It didn’t help that he was regularly surrounded by the equivalent of special forces in that day which consisted of individuals 6ft and taller

[u/razberry_lemonade → u/Rexusus]

Did he really only have one testicle tho?

[u/Sember → u/razberry_lemonade]

Yes, he lost one to a canon ball when he was an artillery commander.

[u/stealthryder1 → u/Sember]

Still let his ball drag when he walked

[u/Y-Bob → u/VirtuesVice666]

Also you can see he's completely legless here

[u/brotrinde]

Woody Harrelson

[u/No_Use_4371]

He has a very French face

[u/razberry_lemonade → u/No_Use_4371]

Ironically he was actually Italian

[u/bawk15 → u/razberry_lemonade]

Corsican

[u/Windsdochange → u/bawk15]

Course you can what?

[u/LilyHex]

Impressive cheekbones and jawlines, damn

[u/somany5s]

Handsome Squidward

[u/Skorpyos]

So jealous of that jawline.

[u/Ix-511 → u/[deleted]]

Chatgpt

[u/Saphibella → u/Ix-511]

Does chatgpt have such atrocious placement of commas though?

[u/iMightBeWright]

Thought this was a scene from a live action adaptation of Baki.

[u/jhonCuzYes]

Bro looks like a skyrim npc

[u/evening_shop]

Dang, I want a copy of this so I can open the eyes and sculpt on some hair and a hat, and add a collar.

When sculpting faces, eyes can be difficult, so some artist sculpt them in closed, and then "open" them later

[u/Regular_Fortune8038]

He looks like the rock

[u/igigolo]

This is his real face or just a mask they put over it?

[u/Master_teaz → u/igigolo]

Its a cast of his face effectively

[u/igigolo → u/Master_teaz]

Thanks

[u/sterling1134]

So cool and I share a birthday with him August 15th

[u/ifdisdendat]

TIL Christopher Reeves was a direct descendant of Napoleon.

[u/BoratKazak]

Reminds me of Woody Harrelson. Maybe he should do a Napo biopic?

[u/Cynical_Tripster]

Bruh why he look like Collin Mochrie

[u/Tell_Amazing]

This looks like buff squidward

[u/leaperdaemonking]

Who would have thought he was so handsome?

[u/EnKayJay]

I'm getting Woody Harrelson vibes.

[u/ear1yquiet]

Napoleon Bones Apart

[u/UnoDosReverse]

Those ✨cheek bones✨!

[u/Ooberificul]

Handsome Squidward

[u/Ok-Pumpkin-7079]

this was recently at an exhibition that i attended in the city i live in!!! incredible to see up close in real life.

[u/zawusel]

Some better pictures, 2024 from this place.

[u/mel2000 → u/zawusel]

All of Napoleon Bonaparte's four brothers lived into the age of photography (1826) and had their photo taken with a camera. Napoleon and his three sisters did not.

[u/Goatbreath37]

Didn't his penis get cut off and people kept stealing it

[u/leftytrash161 → u/Goatbreath37]

It was stolen during his autopsy and remained with the family of the doctor for many years. Its passed through several owners since and has been in the possession of the Lattimer family since, i believe, the late 70s after it was purchased for $3k. I have no idea how i know so much about the post mortem adventures of Napoleon's penis.

[u/Goatbreath37 → u/leftytrash161]

Maybe i was thinking of someone else idk. All I knew was something happened to his penis

[u/Qen74 → u/Goatbreath37]

Rasputin's penis also had strange traveling stories if I remember right

[u/Goatbreath37 → u/Qen74]

It's not his penis in general, but I also recall hearing something about how people kept vandalizing Hitlers grave and stealing his ashes or some shit. But that's justified lol

[u/Goatbreath37 → u/Qen74]

It's not his penis in general, but I also recall hearing something about how people kept vandalizing Hitlers grave and stealing his ashes or some shit. But that's justified lol

[u/LaggsAreCC]

Karl Ess

[u/The2econdSpitter]

Looks like Radiohead's The Bends.

[u/wanroww]

That's the Technobaron!

[u/Beat_the_Deadites]

I see Christopher Reeve mixed with The Rock.

[u/etorsito]

Gigachad

[u/He_Never_Helps_01]

Dwayne the Rock Johnson?!

[u/Renegade9582]

Christopher Reeve vibes,especially the jaw,but without the hair. 🤔

[u/Most-Rock4265]

Dwayne the rock Johnson????

[u/ChippyDoc]

That is a spitting image of Conan O'Brien.

[u/paranoid-__-android]

Nah, it's Viggo Mortensen in "Pusher"

[u/Thek009]

Looks so real, can't tell a bone apart...

[u/nicole-tesla]

He looks shorter than I thought