I may be small, but don’t mess with me!


 If you were to head west from Paris and visit the Chateau de Malmaison, you would find a pair of slippers on display which were worn by Empress Josephine at Napoleon Bonaparte’s coronation.

Empress Josephine’s coronation slippers, 1812

These, along with the couple’s ermine lined robes, were adorned with bees crafted in gold wire and gilded bronze.

Napoleon I, in Coronation Robes, 1812, Anne-Louis Girodet ( Bowes Museum) 

The emblem of the bee has a long history in France. In 1653 a labourer digging a trench during repairs to the C12th church of St Brice in Tournai (which is in present day Belgium) unearthed the tomb of Childeric, the first King of France (c. 437 – 481 CE) and with it, a trove of gold and jewels. The treasures included more than three hundred golden honeybees with garnet wings which would probably have been sewn onto his robe. 

Childeric’s bees

The bee was chosen to link the new dynasty to the origins of France, the Merovingian dynasty, as an emblem of immortality and resurrection. In some circles (now mainly conspiracy theorist circles) the Merovingian dynasty was considered to be a direct bloodline from Mary Magdalene who was said to have escaped to France with her children after the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.

The inclusion of the bee emblem in Bonaparte’s new empire emphasised not only the resurrection of France, but also the idea of him as the head of the hive, in essence, the queen bee!

Meanwhile in Manchester, the hub of the industrial revolution, industrialists were heard to refer to the city’s workers as ‘busy bees in a hive of industry’, suggesting that they were all working as one unit. However, the Mancunian workforce not known for their docility, were prone to striking and organising protests and mass gatherings.

In 1842, Manchester Corporation approved a new coat of arms which incorporated seven worker bees on a globe, emblematic of the hard-working and cooperative population and the success of the city’s industries worldwide. This hard-working bee was depicted in civic and industrial architecture all through the 19th and early 20th centuries mostly represented with four wings but in one part of the town hall the floor is adorned with sixty-seven mosaic bees which, like Childeric’s, have only two wings.

Two-winged bees on the floor of Manchester Town Hall

After the second world war Mancunians fell out of love with their bee emblem. Perhaps because of a decline in industry in the area, perhaps because of the new pared back style of modernist architecture. The emblem resurfaced in 1976 in its two-winged form, on civic branding but it wasn’t until 2017, after the bombing of the Manchester arena where 22 people were killed that the Manchester bee came out of its long hibernation. The emblem gained popularity as a public symbol of unity against terrorism. Once again, the Manchester bee is everywhere in the city, on lampposts, pavements, windows, walls, arms and legs.

The bee is one of the most enduring and currently popular emblems. It has represented many things, resurrection, feminine power, unity, and strength in adversity.

The real message? I may be small but don’t mess with me or I’ll come back and get you!

                                          

 
Contemporary goldwork bees by Hand and Lock

 

  

Comments

  1. JeanieSeptember 25, 2021 at 6:18 AM

    Oh Childeric's bees are just lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  2. BridgetSeptember 28, 2021 at 2:13 PM

    Clever comparing up Bonaparte and Manchester.. not obvious. And lovely pictures (o arty one). Welcome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CarolNovember 29, 2021 at 1:14 PM

      Thank you Bridget! I've only just seen this comment, I'm a little behind the times (just like Uncle Bulgaria) :)

      Delete

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