Fabulous & rare antique French Napoleon III era hand painted portrait miniature of Napoleon Bonaparte in full military regalia, superb detail & large size, a rendition of Paul Delaroche's 1807 painting entitled "L'empereur Napoléon Ier dans son Cabinet de Travail" or "Emperor Napoleon I in His Study" and beautifully framed in an Empire style gilt bronze picture frame! Stunning but slightly flawed, the artistry is superb but there is a vertical crack on the right side of the painting. A shame but still a truly impressive work of art. The artist's signature is in the lower left corner and appears to be "L. Riviere", a notable miniaturist if my search was correct. Paul Delaroche (Paris, 17 July 1797 â 4 November 1856) was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting history. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic scenes that often portrayed subjects from English and French history. The emotions emphasised in Delaroche's paintings appeal to Romanticism while the detail of his work along with the deglorified portrayal of historic figures follow the trends of Academicism and Neoclassicism. Delaroche aimed to depict his subjects and history with pragmatic realism. He did not consider popular ideals and norms in his creations, but rather painted all his subjects in the same light whether they were historical figures, founders of Christianity, or real people of his time like Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie-Antoinette. Delaroche was a leading pupil of Antoine-Jean Gros and later mentored a number of notable artists like Thomas Couture and Francisque Millet.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French general and Emperor. Napoleon (1769-1821) enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of the French Revolutionary army. In 1799 he led a coup to overthrow the government, the Directory, and became first consul and effective dictator of France. In 1804, he declared himself Emperor, and began a series of military campaigns across Europe, the Napoleonic Wars. Victories such as Austerlitz and Jena led to France establishing its power across much of the continent. In 1812, however, Napoleon embarked on a disastrous invasion of Russia and defeat at Leipzig in 1813 led to his abdication and exile to Elba. He ecaped in 1815, raised another army, but was finally defeated by Wellington at Waterloo, and exiled again to St Helena.
Good condition, with a nod to the above mentioned crack. The panel on which the painting is done has bent over the years, the crack a result of someone trying to flatten it. I added a few small sections of curved wood to the inside of the frame to try and hold the painting in its curved shape so as to reduce the cracks appearance (so keep that in mind if you want to remove the painting). The frame is in great shape, thick & heavy bronze with slide-out full panel backing, easel stand and hanging ring. See pictures for all measurements.
