''Bonaparte at the Pont d’Arcole'' () is an oil-on-canvas painting executed in 1796 by the French artist

Antoine-Jean Gros Antoine-Jean Gros (; 16 March 177125 June 1835) was a French painter of historical subjects. He was granted the title of Baron Gros in 1824. Gros studied under Jacques-Louis David in Paris and began an independent artistic career during the ...

. It depicts an episode during the

Battle of Arcole The Battle of Arcole or Battle of Arcola (15–17 November 1796) was fought between French and Austrian forces southeast of Verona during the War of the First Coalition, a part of the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle saw a bold maneuver ...

in November 1796, with General

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

leading his troops to storm the bridge.

Description

The painting presents a three-quarter-length image of Bonaparte, holding the flagstaff of the Armée d'Italie in his left hand and his sword in his right – on its blade is the inscription ''Bonaparte, Armée d'Italie''. He is dressed in the dark blue trousers and tunic of a general of the

First French Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (), was founded on 21 September 1792 during the French Revolution. The First Republic lasted u ...

, with a gold-embroidered red collar. Beneath them he wears a white shirt and a black neckscarf. He also wears a gold-fringed tricolor cummerbund and a square-buckled belt bearing his empty scabbard. The background suggests the smoke of battle, with a few houses in the distance on the left. The land bordering the river is painted in dark tones, with a smoking cannonball still visible.

History

Painted in Naples in 1796, the painting was commissioned by Joséphine, who was accompanying Napoleon in his Italian Campaign. Napoleon could reportedly not sit still for extended periods of time as a model for the portrait; Joséphine solved this by allowing Napoleon to sit in her lap and embracing him for the duration required by Gros. The painting was exhibited at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

of 1801. The painting passed through the collections of Napoleon himself and of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

before being sequestered after the fall of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

in 1870. It was then reacquired by Napoleon III's wife

Eugénie de Montijo Eugénie de Montijo (; born María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick; 5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920) was Second French Empire, Empress of the French from her marriage to Napoleon III on 30 January 1853 until he was overthrown on 4 ...

in 1871, who eight years later gave it to the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

(now inventory number RF271). It passed to the

château de Compiègne The Château de Compiègne is a French château, a former royal residence built for Louis XV and later restored by Napoleon. Compiègne was one of three seats of royal government, the others being Versailles and Fontainebleau. It is located i ...

in 1901, then finally the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

in 1938 (inventory number MV 6314).

Related works

* Sketch at the Musée du Louvre, it was approved by Bonaparte as the basis for the final painting Other versions at: * Arenenberg, (Switzerland, canton of Thurgovie), Musée Napoléon. *

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...

* The painting is sometimes used as a cover for Beethoven's 5 Piano Concerto in Es-Dur, Opus 73.

References

Bibliography

* Jean-Baptiste Delestre ''Gros et ses ouvrages'' éd. Jules Labitte 1845 * Raymond Escholier ''Gros ses amis et ses élèves'' - exhibition at the

Petit Palais The (; ) is an art museum in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Built for the Exposition Universelle (1900), 1900 Exposition Universelle ("universal exhibition"), it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts (''Musée des beaux-arts ...

May-July 1936, éd. Floury Paris 1936 - pp. 1 à 4, plate 1 (Louvre sketch) * David O Brien ''Antoine Jean Gros, peintre de Napoléon'' Gallimard 2006 - - chapter 1, ''une formation en Italie'' pp.31-40 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonaparte at the Pont d'Arcole Paintings by Antoine-Jean Gros Paintings of Napoleon 1796 paintings Paintings in the Palace of Versailles Paintings in the Louvre by French artists Flags in art French Revolutionary Wars in art Artworks exhibited at the Salon of 1801 Oil on canvas paintings