Napoleon and his Staff

Ernest Meissonier depicts Napoleon with his military staff, capturing the emperor's commanding presence with microscopic precision. The horses and uniforms are rendered with obsessive attention to historical accuracy.

Meissonier became the most expensive living painter of his era through such Napoleonic scenes. He built a miniature railway to observe horses in motion and researched every button and braid. His Academic style dominated official French painting. This work resides at the Wallace Collection in London.