The Coronation of Napoleon
by Jacques-Louis David, 1807
StyleNeoclassicism
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1807
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 621 cm × 979 cm (244.5 × 385.4 in)
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Jacques-Louis David documented Napoleon's coronation at Notre-Dame Cathedral on December 2, 1804. The massive canvas, over 10 meters wide, took nearly three years to complete. Rather than showing Napoleon receiving the crown from Pope Pius VII, David chose the moment when Napoleon crowns his wife Joséphine as Empress.
David made several diplomatic alterations to reality. Napoleon's mother, who actually boycotted the ceremony, appears prominently in the gallery. The Pope's gesture was changed from passive resignation to seeming blessing. Even Napoleon's height was subtly increased. Over 150 figures populate the scene, each portrait painted from life.
The painting hung in the Louvre until 1889, when it moved to Versailles. It returned to the Louvre in 1889. A full-size replica that David painted for Napoleon hangs at Versailles.
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About The Coronation of Napoleon
It measures 621 × 979 cm (20.4 × 32.1 feet), making it one of the largest paintings at the Louvre.
David chose to show Napoleon crowning Joséphine instead. Napoleon had actually placed the crown on his own head, asserting his independence from papal authority.
No, she boycotted the ceremony due to family conflicts. David included her anyway on Napoleon's orders, seating her prominently in the gallery.
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