The Coronation of Napoleon (
French:
Le Sacre de Napoléon) is a painting completed in 1807 by
Jacques-Louis David, the official painter of
Napoleon. The painting has imposing dimensions, as it is almost ten metres wide by approximately six metres tall. The crowning and
the coronation took place at
Notre-Dame de Paris, a way for Napoleon to make it clear that he was a son of the
Revolution.
History of the work
The work was commissioned by
Napoleon orally in September 1804 and its official title is
Consecration
of the Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Josephine in
the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris on 2 December 1804.
Jacques-Louis David started work on 21 December 1805 in the former chapel of the
College of Cluny, near the
Sorbonne, which served as a workshop. Assisted by his student
Georges Rouget,
he put the finishing touches in November 1807. From 7 February to 21
March 1808, the work was exhibited at the Salon annual painting display
in 1810,
[clarification needed]
and it was presented to the decennial prize competition. The painting
remained the property of David until 1819, when it was transferred to
the Royal Museums, where it was stored in the reserves until 1837. Then,
it was installed in the Chamber Sacre of the museum of the historical
Palace of Versailles on the orders of
King Louis-Philippe. In 1889, the painting was transferred to the
Louvre
from Versailles and replaced there with a full-size replica - this
replica had been begun by David himself in 1808 and completed during his
exile in
Brussels.
Composition
Sketch of emperor
Napoleon crowning himself. Drawing by David, kept at the
Louvre.
The composition is organised around several axes, and incorporates the rules of
neoclassicism.
One axis is that which passes through the cross and has a vertical
orientation. All eyes are turned towards Napoleon, who is the center of
the composition. A diagonal line runs from the
pope to the
empress.
Characters
The Characters in the painting
- Napoleon I
(1769–1821), is standing, dressed in coronation robes similar to those
of Roman emperors. Others are merely passive spectators. In the actual
painting it is possible to see the outline of what was originally
painted: Napoleon holding the crown above his own head, as if placing on
himself.
- Joséphine de Beauharnais
(1763–1814), is kneeling in a submissive position, as called for in the
French Civil Code. She received the crown from the hands of her
husband, not the pope. Her robe is decorated with silk according to a
contemporary cartoon by Jean-Francois Bony.[citation needed]
- Maria Letizia Ramolino
(1750–1836), mother of Napoleon, was placed in the stands by the
painter. She occupies a place more important than the pope. Actually,
she did not attend the ceremony to protest the friction of Napoleon with
his brothers Lucien and Joseph. Napoleon's father, Charles Bonaparte, died in 1785. Maria Letizia asked the painter to give it a place of honour.[dubious – discuss]
In 1808, when Napoleon discovered the canvas completed in the workshop
of David, he was enthralled, and expressed his gratitude to the painter
who had managed to convey to posterity the tribute paid to the affection
he was carrying to a woman who shared with him the burden of his
office.[citation needed]
- Louis Bonaparte (1778–1846), who at the beginning of the empire received the title of grand constable, King of Holland, in 1806. He married Hortense de Beauharnais, the daughter of Josephine.
- Joseph Bonaparte
(1768–1844), who was not invited and did not attend because of an
argument with Napoleon. This is why his mother did not attend either.
After the coronation, he received the title of imperial prince. Then he
was king of Naples in 1806 and Spain in 1808.
- The young Napoleon Charles Bonaparte (1802–1807), son of Louis Bonaparte and Hortense de Beauharnais.
- The sisters of Napoleon. In the replica, the dress of Napoleon's
favorite sister will be pink. This is the only change in the replica
despite being painted from memory.
- Charles-Francois Lebrun (1739–1824), the third consul alongside Napoleon and Cambacérès. Under the First Empire, he took the place of prince-architrésorier. He holds the sceptre.
Turbaned Ottoman ambassador
Halet Efendi in
The Coronation of Napoleon (detail).
- Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès (1753–1824), arch-chancellor prince of the empire. He takes the hand of justice.
- Louis-Alexandre Berthier (1753–1815), minister of war under the Consulate. Marshal Empire in 1805. He keeps the globe surmounted by a cross.
- Talleyrand (1754–1836), grand chamberlain since July 11, 1804.
- Joachim Murat (1767–1815), marshal of empire, king of Naples after 1808, brother-in-law of Napoleon and husband of Caroline Bonaparte.
- Pope Pius VII (1742–1823), was content to bless the coronation. He is surrounded by dignitaries clerics, appointed by Napoleon
since the Concordat. In order not to jeopardize the new balance between
Church and State, the pope accepted to attend the coronation.[citation needed]
The original sketches (as was typical in those days) showed the (key)
subjects - including the Pope - minus their clothing, which was added in
the actual painting. The pope was originally pictured with hands
crossed on his lap, but Napoleon, supposedly claiming that the Pope was
not present to do nothing, instructed that the painting depict him
anointing the proceedings.
- The painter Jacques-Louis David is depicted in the stands as well.
- Halet Efendi, an Ottoman ambassador, was also present. He is shown below in the detailed picture.
- The lady robe bearer in front,right behind Josephine,on the right
side from the picture-viewer's point,is Elisabeth-Hélène-Pierre de
Montmorency-Laval,mother of politician Sosthènes II de La
Rochefoucauld.She was a court lady of Josephine.
References
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