Lecture in the scope of the workshop 
Art beyond Placeness:
Narratives of Movement in the Early Modern Period 
organized by Mattia Biffis at the Norwegian Institute in Rome / Det Norske Institutt i Roma, May 31–June 1, 2023

The decline of the Napoleonic Empire were met by the closest imperial family around Napoleon with the safeguarding of assets, including collections, everyday objects but also archives. One of the most important Napoleonids, Eugène de Beauharnais, Napoleon’s adopted son and, as Viceroy, his governor in the Kingdom of Italy since 1805, began documenting and safeguarding his possessions as early as on his way into Bavarian exile in 1814. Eugène’s administrative and organizational skills, for which he had been trained by Napoleon during his time as viceroy and military officer, formed the basis for the large-scale local and cross-border movement of objects that took place mainly between 1814 and 1818. This is also a conclusion to the Europe-wide re-sorting and shipping of objects triggered by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period.