Napoleon's Looting of Art

Napoleon has carried the brunt of most of the blame for the looting of art from Italy and other European countries, but not all of it lies on his shoulders. The looting of art from country to country isn’t a new idea. It all started with the Romans and the Greeks and continues to this day. There are a few more international rules in place to stop this, but not everyone follows them. In the 12th century, Doge Enrico Dandolo looted treasures and the horses later known as the horses of Saint Mark’s while in Constantinople. Something Napoleon would steal as well. Between the Revolution and the fall of Napoleon in 1814, the looting of art from the Vatican, Venice, Tuscany, and other corners of Europe was used to enrich the national museum. Authorized by treaties put in place at the same time, making the seizure legal.After the fall of the First Empire, a large majority of art was returned to its owners, but not everything. What remains, and why is it still here in France? Listen to the episode to get all the details now. Support the show