“Combining the dignity of the monument with public utility and beauty”: monuments to Napoleon in Milan between Republic and Empire

The representative strategies implemented in Milan during the Napoleonic era included projects for monuments dedicated to the person and deeds of Napoleon Bonaparte, which in a short length of time changed emphasis and meaning in relation to the political events that marked the transition from Republic to Empire. The proposals revisit models and types taken from classical antiquity and pertain to various areas of the city and, in many cases, were intertwined with urban redevelopment projects aimed at “combining the dignity of the monument with public utility and beauty”. This essay examines the numerous projects for permanent monuments (excluding ephemeral monuments erected for public festivals) that were constructed in Milan during the period in which the Lombard city was capital of the Cisalpine Republic, then of the Italian Republic and finally of the Kingdom of Italy.