State Berlin of Napoleon I, so-called “Milan Coronation Carriage”

The originally completely gold-plated carriage was built around 1790 in Paris and according to the tradition of the collection was used by Napoleon at his Milan coronation as king of Italy in 1805. It can be traced back to 1816 in Vienna as the “Milan Carriage” and was adapted and modified (particularly in terms of the heraldry) for use by the Austrian court. The future empresses Karoline Auguste (1816), Maria Anna (1831) and Elisabeth (1854) used this carriage for their festive entries into Vienna. It was drawn by six or eight horses depending on the occasion. © Monica Kurzel-Runtscheiner: Crane Neck and Gold Crepine. Courtly Splendour and Contemporary art – a confrontation,
Exhibition Catalogue, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna 2004