Passed on over 3 generations. Signed by G FOULON on the base, this sculpture is a reproduction of the Statue unveiled in Cherbourg in 1858 on the Napoleon square. All details (buttons, medal, bags, etc.) are of a rare delicacy for a sculpture of such size. In 1852, to thank Napoleon III for getting the railroad to Cherbourg, the City Council decided to build a monument in memory of his uncle, Napoleon Bonaparte, who created of the military harbour on the square of the same name. This masterpiece created by Armand Levéel, sculptor from Cherbourg, is considered to be the largest and most beautiful statue of the Emperor in Europe. With is Napoleon’s hand indicating? No, Napoleon is not pointing his finger towards England. Rumour die hard. The Emperor is actually pointing his finger towards the military harbour, his little favourite. ‘L'on ne verra rien d'autre chose dans la main étendue que la main qui fonde’, said the sculptor. Historian Robert Lerouvillois makes some fun of it in the book ‘A la découverte de Cherbourg’: ‘Tout de même, ce Napoléon de bronze sur son cheval, n'exagérait-il pas un peu ? [... ] Comparer le port de Cherbourg au Lac Moeris et sa digue aux pyramides !’