A207-02; a Detailed Commentary on Two Representations of Napoleon Bonaparte by the French Artist Jacque-Louis David

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A detailed commentary on two representations of Napoleon Bonaparte by the French artist Jacque-Louis David. |

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A detailed commentary on two representations of Napoleon Bonaparte by the French artist Jacque-Louis David.

Mr.P. J. Moore

A207-02

A detailed commentary on two representations of Napoleon Bonaparte by the French artist Jacque-Louis David.

The full title of the first painting to be considered is by Jacques-Louis David is (Illustrations Book, Plate 9.30) “The Oath of the Army to the Emperor after the Distribution of the Eagles on the Champ de Mars, December 5, 1804” (Versailles, Musee National du Chateau). It was exhibited to the public at the Salon of 1810. The painting itself is of huge proportions, approximately 21 feet x 32.5 feet, typical of the format of the “grand genre” of History Painting (Dagan, pg172).

This was the second large canvas that David completed out of an original commission of four; “The Consecration”, “The Enthronement”, “The Distribution of the Eagles” and “The Arrival of the Emperor at the Hotel de Ville”. Disputes over the costs of the work and a tense Patron /Painter relationship, Napoleon and J. L. David, resulted in only two of the four paintings being completed.

The painting depicts the ceremony that took place on 5th December 1804, three days after Napoleon’s Coronation as Emperor. It shows the moment in the proceedings when Napoleon is blessing the newly distributed standards that are being held out towards him. These standards were based on the “Eagles of the Imperial Roman Legions” and represented the regiments of the numerous Departments of France. Napoleon’s intention was to instill pride and loyalty in his army inspiring them to fight to the death to defend their standard.

Comparing the completed painting with David’s 1808 “pen, ink and wash” “Study for the Distribution of the Eagle Standards” (Web Gallery of Art.) the extent of control that Napoleon exercised over the...