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Decoration Executed for the Birthday of His Majesty the King of Westphalia
About the Artwork
A scenic designer for the Paris Opera, Cicéri created this decoration for a performance celebrating the birthday of Emperor Napoleon’s brother, Jérôme Bonaparte (1784–1860), King of Westphalia, a vassal state of territories taken from Prussia and its allies. Antoine-André Bruguière, named in the inscription as the commissioner of the decoration, was Westphalia’s secretary of the ministry of war and the superintendent of theaters in Kassel, the state’s capital city. The title of the special performance is unknown, but the triumphal arch, Corinthian columns topped with vases, and classical statues all suggest a Roman theme.
Inscriptions
verso, center right, in graphite: 1930; secondary support, lower center, in graphite (under primary support): Bas; lower center, in brown ink: décoration Exécutée pour l'anniversaire de la naissance de S. M. le Roi de Wesphalie, / Ordonnée par Monsieur bruguière Surintendant des théatres. / Dessin exécuté au théâtre de Cassel en 1811, par cicéri, Ier ["er" underlined] peintre de l'Opéra.
Exhibition history
French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001); Dahesh Museum of Art (February 19-May 18, 2002). Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 6, 2016).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Pierre-Luc-Charles Cicéri (French, 1782–1868)
- Date
- 1811
- Medium
- Pen and black ink and watercolor with graphite; heightened with white gouache on off-white wove paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 32 x 42.3 cm (12 5/8 x 16 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 44 x 53.2 cm (17 5/16 x 20 15/16 in.)
- Type
- Drawing
- Classification
- Drawing
- Department
- Drawings
- Credit line
- Bequest of Muriel Butkin
- Accession no.
- 2008.341
More by Pierre-Luc-Charles Cicéri in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00011487
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