" Portrait of Napoleon I " , By Artist Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
Napoleon's unwavering pursuit of achievement was represented in the artwork he commissioned, in which the concept of imperial authority and his personal might plainly triumphed. Jacques Louis David, the first painter of the Napoleonic court, made several paintings for the emperor. Antoine Jean Gros (1771-1835), whose paintings frequently show crucial incidents in Napoleon's military career, was another painter who contributed to the construction of the Napoleonic myth. "Bonaparte visits the plague hospital in Jaffa" was a major hit as an illustration of his work's dramatic impact.
Napoleon is shown on the imperial throne by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres in the classic position of the supreme deity Jupiter, whose heraldic eagle is masterfully embroidered on the carpet. The zodiac signs on the carpet's border represent Jupiter's status as the ruler of heaven. The emperor is adorned with a laurel wreath and is armed with a sceptre, a judge's rod (the hand of justice), and Charlemagne's sword. Contemporaries recognised that Ingres linked the emperor to both Jupiter and the famous figure of God the Father from the Ghent Altarpiece (c. 1432) by Jan van Eyck, which was transported to Paris among the spoils of war.
The painting, titled "His Imperial Majesty Enthroned" (Fr. Sa Majesté l'Empereur sur son trône), was shown as piece No. 272 at the Salon de Paris in 1806 and was recorded as belonging to the legislature. Robert Lefebvre presented his piece "Napoleon in a coronation costume" in the same salon. Ingres' artwork was moved to the Louvre in 1815, when it was given the inventory number MR 2069 before being given the number INV. 5420. The Comte de Forbin displayed it in Les Invalides in 1832, first in the chapel and since 1860 in the library. It is currently on exhibit at the Army Museum.
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| " Portrait of Napoleon I " , Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1806 Canvas, oil. Size: 259×162 cm Army Museum, Paris |
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