The Triumph of Bonaparte

1801·Black chalk with stumping, heightened with touches of white chalk, on blue laid paper, laid down on ivory Japanese paper·35 × 63 cm (13 13/16 × 24 13/16 in.)

The Triumph of Bonaparte celebrates the French defeat of Austria and the signing of the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801. Napoleon, as first consul of the Republic, stands in a chariot flanked by Victory and Peace. The Muses precede the chariot, while the Arts—painting, sculpture, and architecture—follow behind. A work of unbridled propaganda, the drawing is also a call for Napoleon to support the arts. Prud’hon’s idiosyncratic style blends a frieze-like arrangement of figures and overt references to ancient Rome (hallmarks of the period’s classicizing tendencies) with a soft sensuality inspired by Leonardo da Vinci and other Italian Renaissance masters.

Catalogue

Year: 1801
Medium: Black chalk with stumping, heightened with touches of white chalk, on blue laid paper, laid down on ivory Japanese paper
Dimensions: 35 × 63 cm (13 13/16 × 24 13/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Pierre Paul Prud'hon

Artist

Pierre Paul Prud'hon

Painting

Pierre-Paul Prud'hon was a French Neo-classical painter and draughtsman best known in his own time for his allegorical paintings and portraits, now for his drawings. He painted a portrait of both of Napoleon's two wives.

Paris

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