Mathieu CORIZZI (1891-1976) Project for a monument commemorating the centenary of the death of Napoleon I in Ajaccio, Corsica. Ink and watercolor on paper. Signed and dated February 28, 1922 lower right. 50 x 58 cm. Pitting. Provenance: Paul Lucchini Collection. It wasn't until 1921, the centenary of Napoleon's death, that the idea of restoring the site to its former glory and erecting a monument to him arose. The first stone was laid on May 4, but the project progressed slowly. It wasn't until 1935 that the committee in charge of the Monument Napoléon launched a public subscription to finance the installation in the Place du Casone of the statue of Napoleon I by Émile Seurre (1798-1858), which had been housed in the English courtyard of the Hôtel de Ville since 1921. The project was entrusted to architect Roger Seassal (1885-1967), winner of the Grand Prix de Rome in 1913. Construction was completed in 1938, and the inauguration took place on March 18. The ceremony took place in an atmosphere charged with symbolism: the expression of a strong attachment to France at a time when Mussolini and Fascist Italy were harboring annexation ambitions for the island.