Death mask of Napoleon I. Reduction in brown patinated bronze, marked "Susse Frères Brevetés" and "DR F Antommarchi". With hanging ring. 9 x 4 cm. Minor wear to patina. On May 7, 1821, two days after the death of Napoleon I, Dr. Burton and Dr. Antommarchi painstakingly produced a fragmentary cast of the Emperor's face. Antommarchi brought the cast back to France when the French returned from St. Helena in 1821. After Burton's death, he launched a national subscription in 1833 for bronze and plaster casts, which were soon sold with great success. As early as 1838, Susse Frères published bronze death masks of Napoleon.