A collection of the most impressive portraits of Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon’s rise to fame as an ambitious military leader has been recorded in these marvellous portraits. This list includes an oil painting portrait of Napoleon by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres was a profound French Neoclassical painter who aspired against the Romantic Style. Napoleon Bonaparte spoke French with a Corsican accent. We will look at some spectacular paintings of Bonaparte alongside some particularly interesting facts!

Image of Portrait of Napoleon I (1769 - 1821) (oil on canvas), Girodet de Roucy-Trioson, Anne Louis (1767-1824) (attr.to) / Chateau de Versailles, France © Bridgeman Images

 

Napoleon once wrote a Romance Novel, just before he met and married Empress Joséphine in 1795. The novel titled 'Clisson et Eugénie' tells a fictional story of the young soldiers relationship with Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary. The novel was not ever published during Bonaparte's lifetime. After his death, the manuscript was divided into segments and sold as souvenirs at Auction Houses!

 

Image of Napoleon (1769-1821) reading a letter by candle and moonlight, 1810 (oil on canvas) by Benvenuti, Pietro (1796-1844) © Tokyo Fuji Art Museum / Bridgeman Images

 

Napoleon's Army discovered The Rosetta Stone in Egypt whilst on a mission to seize Egypt and cut off Britain's trade route.

 

Image of Napoleon I (1769 - 1821) King of Italy, c.1805 - 10 (oil on canvas), Appiani Andrea the Elder (1754 - 1817) / Private Collection © Bridgeman Images

 

German composer, Ludwig van Beethoven was working on Symphony 3 when he expressed his inspiration for his idol, Napoleon Bonaparte! Beethoven was interested in Bonaparte's democratic ideals and heroic exploits.   

 

Photo image of Napoleon I (1769 - 1821) on the Imperial Throne, 1806 (oil on canvas), Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique (1780 - 1867) / Musee de l’Armee, Paris, France © Bridgeman Images

 

Napoleon attempted to spread Religious Tolerance across many countries. Napoleon was baptized a catholic at a young age but questioned Catholicism in his early life. After Napoleon's initial power in France, he set about reestablishing the Catholic church.  

 

Image of Plaster bust of Napoleon Bonaparte by Antonion Canova Accademia di S. Luca, Roma. / Marage Photos. © Marage Photos / Bridgeman Images

 

 Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) as First Consul -Apinting by Francois Gerard (1770-1837), oil on canvas (62 x 53 cm), 1903  / Musee Conde, Chantilly, France © Photo Josse / Bridgeman Images

 

Portrait of the emperor Napoleon I Bonaparte (1769-1821) - Painting by Jacques Louis David (1748-1925), oil on canvas, 19th century / Fondation Dosne-Thiers (Musee Frederic Masson) Paris, France / Photo © Photo Josse / Bridgeman Images

 

Unfinished Portrait of Napoleon I (1769-1821) formerly attributed to Jacques Louis David (1748-1825) 1808 (oil on canvas), Girodet de Roucy-Trioson, Anne Louis (1767-1824) / Musee Bonnat, Bayonne, France / Bridgeman Images

 

Unfinished Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) in General Painting by Louis David (1748-1825) Around 1798. Dim. 0,81x0,65 m., David, Jacques Louis (1748-1825)  Louvre, Paris, France  Photo © Photo Josse  Bridgeman Images  4633127

 

Napoleon Crossing the Alps, May 1800, 1802-03 (oil on canvas), David, Jacques Louis (1748-1825) / Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria / Luisa Ricciarini / Bridgeman Images

 

Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) (oil on canvas), Girodet de Roucy-Trioson, Anne Louis (1767-1824) / The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, UK / © Bowes Museum / Bridgeman Images

 

Discover more portraits of Napoleon Bonaparte on Bridgeman Images

Read more about Napoleon Bonaparte


Sources: 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/67270/15-epic-facts-about-napoleon-bonaparte

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