From 3 March to 4 June 2023, Palazzo Reale presents in the Parade Apartments the focus AT THE VICEROY’S HOUSE. Eugene of Beauharnais in Napoleonic Milan, an in-depth look at art, taste and fashion in the Napoleonic era in the court of Eugene of Beauharnais, Viceroy of Italy, during his regency in Milan (1805 - 1814). Eugene was a promoter of the arts and manufacturing, giving a great impulse to the cultural, social and economic life of the first Kingdom of Italy and influencing its fashion and customs.

AT THE VICEROY'S HOUSE. Eugene de Beauharnais in Napoleonic Milan is promoted by Comune di Milano- Cultura, produced and organised by Palazzo Reale and Fondazione Scuola Beato Angelico in collaboration with Château de Malmaison and the Scientific Committee for the Recovery of the Historical Furniture of Palazzo Reale.

Five rooms (the Halls of the Parade Apartments and the Hall of the Four Columns) host works and furnishings from early 19th-century Milan, inspired by the personalities who most influenced the taste and politics of the time: Napoleon and Viceroy Eugene de Beauharnais.

The art and taste of the time, which found its highest expression in the Empire Style of the Napoleonic courts, are highlighted: between symbol and aesthetic quest.

The portraits of the Viceroy and his wife Amalia, two works by Andrea Appiani, the court painter, are among the masterpieces in the Focus, thanks to the loan from Malmaison after the exhibition at the Château de Bois- Préau (9 Oct. 2022 - 9 Jan. 2023) that featured them.

In addition to the collaboration with Malmaison, the main lenders include ministerial and civic institutions such as the Biblioteca Braidense in Milan, the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Milano, the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di Monza-Brianza e Pavia, the Civiche Raccolte d'Arte Applicata del Castello Sforzesco, Palazzo Morando Moda - Costume - Immagine, Palazzo Moriggia - Museo del Risorgimento, which made the exhibition project possible.

On the occasion of the exhibition, it was decided to offer the public a preview of the results of the long restoration work on one of the symbols of the Palazzo Reale: the Centrotavola, a work by the Roman mosaicist Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-1836).

From 3 to 8 March 2023, the work will be on display in the Sala delle Cariatidi, while from 14 March 2023 it will be visible to the public in the Sala delle Quattro Colonne, as the new location for the work. 

The Centrotavola has a strong connection with Beauharnais and the Napoleonic court as it decorated the table for the banquet that the Viceroy offered in honor of Napoleon on his coronation as King of Italy.

The centerpiece is made up of three parts: a long central element of about 9 meters composed of 13 marble bases and two twin elements that were placed at the ends of the main parterre, each 1.60 meters long and each consisting of 2 marble bases. The entire composition reaches a total of 13 meters and consists of 242 pieces. 

The artist used many precious materials: the white Carrara marble of the bases, the alabaster of the columns of the side temples, the Egyptian red marble of the parachutes, the lapislazuli inserts of the bases.

Over the years, the entire work has been the subject of philological study centered on the recovery of some of its parts, disassembled and kept in storage, to return it to the public in its sumptuous and original completeness.

The restoration, commissioned by Culture Councillor Tommaso Sacchi and Palazzo Reale Director Domenico Piraina, took place under the direction of the Soprintendenza Archeologica Belle Arti e Paesaggio della Città metropolitana di Milano, in the person of Dott. ssa Paola Strada, on a project by Ilaria Bianca Perticucci, head of the Restoration Laboratories of the Beato Angelico School Foundation and in collaboration with the students of the Restoration School of the Accademia di Brera, and thanks to the support of the Fondazione Atlante, of the Uvet Group, a patron of the arts who has often been involved in restoration and enhancement of cultural heritage.

In addition, 3D scanning, which accompanied the various phases of restoration step by step, documented the state of conservation, providing the basis for future monitoring and preservation.

The focus was released on the occasion of Museocity Milano 2023 in the framework of the financing by the Ministry of Tourism, through the project "Let-MI Promote and Experience Milan" - Communication and Territorial Marketing Project to integrate the "Let-Mi Literature and Tourism Experience" Project.

Technical sponsors: Fondazione Atlante, AERARIUM CHAIN, In viaggio col tubo, TRAART - Trasportiamo s.r.l.