The Coronation of Napoleon is a painting completed in 1807 by Jacques-Louis
David, the official painter of Napoleon. The painting has imposing dimensions, as
it is almost 10 metres wide by a little over 6 metres tall. The crowning and the
coronation took place at Notre-Dame de Paris.
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 January 1808. From 7 February to 21 March 1808, the work
was exhibited at the Salon annual painting display in 1810, 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. David was commissioned by American
entrepreneurs to paint a full size replica, in 1808, immediately after the
release of the original. He began work that year, painting it from memory, but
didn't finish until 1822, during his exile in Brussels. The replica was
eventually returned to France in 1947, to the original's place in the Palace of
Versailles. The painting is a subject of "The Public
Viewing David's 'Coronation' at the Louvre," a painting by Louis-Léopold
Boilly done in 1810, currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Composition 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
Napoleon I, 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, 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. Maria Letizia Ramolino, 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. 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. Louis Bonaparte, 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, 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,
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, the third
consul alongside Napoleon and Cambacérès. Under the First Empire, he
took the place of prince-architrésorier. He holds the sceptre.
Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, arch-chancellor prince of the empire. He
takes the hand of justice. Louis-Alexandre Berthier, minister of
war under the Consulate. Marshal Empire in 1805. He keeps the globe surmounted
by a cross. Talleyrand, grand chamberlain since July
11, 1804. Joachim Murat, marshal of empire, king
of Naples after 1808, brother-in-law of Napoleon and husband of Caroline
Bonaparte. Pope Pius VII, 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. The
original sketches showed the 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.
Dom Raphaël de Monachis, Greek-Egyptian monk and member of the Institut d'Égypte
is depicted among the clergy men, standing to the right of the Bishop,
with a beard and a red hood. 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.
Notes References
Sylvain Laveissière, Le Sacre de Napoléon peint par David, Paris, Musée
du Louvre, 2004 Jean Tulard, Le Sacre de l'empereur
Napoléon. Histoire et légende, Paris 2004 ISBN 2-213-62098-9
Links Louvre Museum, A closer look at the
coronation of Napoleon