''The Distribution of the Eagle Standards'' is an 1810 oil painting by

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

depicting a military ceremony in 1804 that was arranged by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

after his assumption of power as

Emperor of the French Emperor of the French ( French: ''Empereur des Français'') was the title of the monarch and supreme ruler of the First and the Second French Empires. Details A title and office used by the House of Bonaparte starting when Napoleon was procl ...

. In the ceremony, Napoleon sought to revive the military ethos of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

. The full

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

title of the work is ''Serment de l'armée fait à l'empereur après la distribution des aigles au champ de Mars, 5 décembre 1804'', which translates literally as "Oath of the army made to the emperor after the distribution of the eagles at the field of Mars, 5 December 1804". The painting is in the collection of the

Château de Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

.''Serment de l'armée fait à l'empereur après la distribution des Aigles, 5 décembre 1804''
Château de Versailles. It is on display there in the ''Salle du Sacre'', which also contains David's second version of his '' Sacre de l'empereur Napoléon''.

Background

The depicted event took place on 5 December 1804, three days after Napoleon's

coronation ceremony A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

. He distributed "

eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

" that were based on the Roman '' aquila'' of the legions of Rome. The standards represented the regiments raised by the various

departments of France In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety-s ...

, and they were intended to institute feelings of pride and loyalty among the troops, who would be the backbone of Napoleon's new regime. Napoleon gave an emotional speech in which he insisted that troops should defend the standards with their lives. In early sketches of the painting, David included a winged figure of

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

, the goddess of victory, floating over the troops, but Napoleon objected to such an unrealistic feature. He also insisted that his wife Josephine be removed from the composition. He was preparing to divorce her, since she had failed to produce his heir. The final painting depicted the moment when Napoleon blessed the standards being held out towards him. Napoleon has his arm raised in imitation of ancient "

adlocutio In ancient Rome the Latin word ''adlocutio'' means an address given by a general, usually the emperor, to his massed army and legions, and a general form of Roman salute from the army to their leader. The research of ''adlocutio'' focuses on the ...

" scenes, which depict Classical heroes addressing troops. David's composition was heavily influenced by the friezes on

Trajan's column Trajan's Column ( it, Colonna Traiana, la, Columna Traiani) is a Roman triumphal column in Rome, Italy, that commemorates Roman emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars. It was probably constructed under the supervision of the architect Ap ...

References

External links

''Serment de l'armée fait à l'empereur après la distribution des Aigles, 5 décembre 1804''
– Château de Versailles
An oil sketch for ''The Distribution of the Eagle Standards'' by Jacques-Louis David
– Christie's {{DEFAULTSORT:Distribution of the Eagle Standards, The 1810 paintings Military art Neoclassical paintings Paintings by Jacques-Louis David Paintings of Napoleon