The orders of chivalry, the Legion of Honor.
To begin with, this order was created in 1802. However, it was not given insignia until 1804, when Napoleon ascended the imperial throne.
On this badge, a «spread eagle» is depicted on the reverse, just as on the center of the plaque.
When he becomes Emperor, one of Napoleon’s immediate concerns is to establish a new symbolism. That is why he creates a commission in this regard within the Council of State. Among the proposals that are made, we find the eagle, the lion, and the elephant, traditionally associated with strong sovereign power. Moreover, the bees «symbolize the new France, a republic with a leader» according to Cambacérès. Or the rooster, traditionally associated with «gallus» in Latin, which also means both a Gaul and a rooster.
The commission voted twice in favor of the rooster, but was thwarted by Napoleon, who found the animal too weak. Thus, the lion was chosen as the first emblem and the bee as the second (these bees are found on the collar of the second type of the Legion of Honor).
Similarly, the lion was «in extremis» replaced by the eagle on the advice of Vivant-Denon. In fact, they were symbols of two great empires: the Roman Empire and that of Charlemagne.
Until now, it is this eagle that is featured on the insignia of the Legion of Honor. It is also this animal that almost exclusively forms the collar of the first type, with which Napoleon is depicted in this painting by Lefèvre.
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