the fulcrum of what we know as the Empire style, that heady bricolage of Egypt,
Pompeii and ancient Greece and Rome.
Malmaison���s curator, Bernard Chevallier,
notes Empire���s ���ubiquitous elements���
palmettes and lyres, swans and sphinxes, masks, caryatids, Egyptian heads and
lions��� muzzles and paws������ This hybridism is exemplified by the regal yet fanciful dining room, with its black and white
marble tiled floor, Pompeiian style murals
of dancers and musicians and oval mahogany table accompanied by a dozen
scroll backed chairs.
Yet it is Josephine���s bedroom that most
captivates me and that historians seem
to agree is the heart of the house. Percier
HYLAND
