JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID, 1801-05

Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) was the leading painter of the Neoclassical movement in France. During his lifetime, the ornate ‘Rococo’ style fell out of fashion and artists began to favour simplicity and grandeur in their work, inspired by the art of ancient Greece and Rome. Following a successful military campaign, Napoleon Bonaparte asked David to capture the moment when the French crossed the alps to defeat the Austrian army at the Battle of Marengo.

David shows Napoleon on horseback, bravely leading his troops with a hand raised to point at the summit. His horse rears, but Napoleon remains steady. Mountains rise in the distance and a great gust of wind tears through the scene, billowing his cloak out behind him in a grand flourish. Napoleon was clearly pleased with the result as he made David the official painter of his regime in 1804, ordering three more copies of the portrait. David also created an additional copy of his own to keep.

In truth, Napoleon didn’t lead the climb himself, but followed a few days behind his troops. He made the journey on a mule, but requested instead to be painted on a “fiery steed.” Napoleon understood that power could be gained through art just as effectively as through battle. With the help of David, he immortalised himself as a military hero and a dependable leader, affirming his power in the tumultuous early years of his reign.