THE mythic character and charismatic cult surrounding the French emperor Napoleon is the subject of the first in a series of exhibitions at the Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, next year to mark its 125th anniversary.

The Allure of Napoleon will combine the story of the meteoric rise and fall of the "Little Corporal" from Corsica with his impact when Emperor on the fine and decorative arts of France and in Britain.

Napoleon, famously defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, died in exile on St Helena in 1821.

Living in Paris during the 1850s and 1860s, museum founders John and Josephine Bowes appreciated that his story belonged not just to the past but to the present.

They accumulated an exceptional range of artefacts relating to the First Empire, including portraits, prints, sculptural busts, furniture, porcelain, miniatures, books and autographs.

Outstanding works include Napoleon I in Coronation Robes by Anne-Louis Girodet, and The Emperor Augustus Rebuking Cornelius Cinna for His Treachery by Etienne-Jean Delécluze.

Five exhibition themes will examine both the glamour and the fragility of the Napoleonic regime.

The Political Chameleon will focus on phases of his career, from officer in the revolutionary armies to First Consul and eventually to an imperial crown.

Rare prints, notably those bought by John Bowes in Germany, will trace the disintegration of his empire in The Fall of a Titan. From the disastrous invasion of Russia and German Wars of Liberation, to imprisonment on Elba and last-stand at Waterloo, this section concerns the ruin of Napoleon’s ambitions.

Luxury Reborn explores the impact of the First Empire in revamping a taste for luxury in the decorative arts. The museum's collection of porcelain, clocks, jewellery, textiles and miniatures will illustrate fashion and style in this period.

Portraits and busts of the wider Napoleonic family feature in A New Dynasty, and the final section, The Napoleonic Legend, will explore attempts to revive memories of Napoleon long after his death.

Period decoration and animated films will help bring the story to life, and there will be talks by leading historians as well as a workshop and recital of Napoleonic-era music.

The Allure of Napoleon opens on January 28 and runs until March 19.