It is interesting to note the presence of the dual portrait of Napoleon I and Marie Louise on a Russian neo-classical table, as the emnity between the two emperors is well-known. In light of the Russian defeat of the French in 1812, however, it is often forgotten that on June 7, 1807, Napoleon and Alexander signed the peace of Tilsit, and forged an alliance which effectively divided Europe between the two leaders. The treaty lasted through 1810, when Napoleon married Marie Louise of Austria on March 11 and assured his new social position in the eyes of the Russian monarch. It is possible that this table was executed to commemorate this event in 1810-1811. The Franco-Russian peace ended, however, when Napoleon annexed the region of Oldenburg in December of the same year and removed Alexander's uncle, the Duke of Oldenburg, from power. Relations between the two states degenerated rapidly, resulting in France's ill-fated invasion of the Russian Empire in the summer of 1812.