Overall: 62cm (24.4in) x 50cm (19.7in)
Oil on steel. An atmospheric valedictory portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte on campaign after Nicolas-Toussaint Charlet’s well known engraving of 1821, the year of the subject’s death in exile. Steel plate: 41.5cm x 30cm. Contained in period moulded frame.
The present portrait depicting the Emperor beside a camp fire in campaign dress comprising Chasseurs-à-Cheval uniform, greatcoat and iconic bicorne hat was one that helped fuel the romantic movement’s nostalgia for the Napoleonic era. Moreover Charlet’s portrayal is considered the first of many by the artist that helped shape the Napoleonic legend.