"Napoleonic Paintings" Topic

Favorite painting depicting the Napoleonic period.
I`m stuck between two,firstly "La Reve" by Detaille
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& secondly "1805" by Meissonier
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Any other favorites ?
Regards,

Wellington – the dead handsome one in red by Sir Thomas Lawrence.
Paintings of Wellington (scroll down)
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Boney: the misty one in front of Moscow
Painting of Bonaparte (scroll down)
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Le rêve ('rêve' is masculine) is really nice! Never seen that one. I want a print for my house!

I like the one on top of the Grande Armée rulebook, can't remember the name.

Scotland forever by Butler.

Detaille's 'La Reve' is a favorite of mine also but I've always been drawn to the imposing hussar in Detaille's, 'Point of the Advance Guard'.

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Archduc,
I would not argue your French, but sources i find are "la Reve" [the dream] by Edouard Detaille.
Regards,

I would be surprised a french painter made such a mistake!

It is, indeed, "Le Rêve", as shown here in the Musée d'orsay, in France : link

Probably an english author who butchered the name, and then everyone copied it.

You are correct,& that is where my link is from[Musée d`orsay]Most other print/poster of art works have "La" & are english.
Regards,
ps, & a very good choise for the house.

Isn't "La Reve" a Franco-Prussian War era painting?

'Le Reve' is technically a Second Empire painting (so I suppose it is still 'Napoleonic'). It is depicting soldiers in the Franco-Prussian war dreaming of past glories.

Stirring stuff.

The Waterloo panorama, despite any inaccuracies that it may have, will always tug at my heartstrings.

Compositionally, David's 'Distribution of the Eagles' is a near masterpiece for the manner in which it tries to reconcile the Classical with the Romantic.

I just bought my very first house with the girlfriend (moving in a month), and this will fit perfectly. Thanks!!

@ mad monkey 1,
& what is the DREAM about ?
Regards

"Le Reve" is absolutely enormous. It looks good as a print, the real thing is about 15feet by 20feet, and is magnificent. David's "Eagles", to me, is a classic of neo-Nazi propaganda painting to order, as are all of his post 1789 oevres.
The Meissonier one of Bonaparte is entitled, in English: "The Campaign of 1814".

I appreciate the battle paintings of Simeon Fort – Brienne, massed cavalry at Eylau etc.

Also Thomas Yung – Ligny

Colbert=
"@ mad monkey 1,
& what is the DREAM about ?
Regards"

Ah, they're dreaming about Candyland?

malcolmmccallum=
"'Le Reve' is technically a Second Empire painting (so I suppose it is still 'Napoleonic'). It is depicting soldiers in the Franco-Prussian war dreaming of past glories."

I thought , when you posted the title, that you had pictures in mind about the wars of Napoleon I. The Great Karnak I'm not. My bad.

David's "Eagles", to me, is a classic of neo-Nazi propaganda painting to order, as are all of his post 1789 oevres

Proto-Nazi, perhaps. Neo-Classical, certainly.

'The Battle of Hanau' by Horace Vernet is clearly the best if you were ever lucky enough to lay your eyes on it. Bavarian Chevau-Legere & Austrian Cuiraissiers attacking French Guard artillery with a squadron of Guard Chassuers coming to the rescue with French Dragoons in reserve. The main allied line supported by artillery with skirmishers out in front dealing with French skirmishers in woods to their front is exactly what are gaming is supposed to represent. Gotta get a large print of this for my wargame room.

Detaille's Return of the Carabiniers after the Charge is my favorite.

Sorry, Horse Guard at Eylau (also Detaille) is perfect for the TV room…dead Pavlovskis don't really fit in the Dining Room or Kitchen…

tHE DOG of THE regiment is WOUNDED BY vERNET:

picture

tHE VERY BEST! cLICK ON pic TO ENLARGE.

Musee d'Orsay?

Museum of the Horse?

Most of Detaille's Napoleonic paintings are good, as are Meissonier's. Indeed, there is something especially good about French war artists. Both Detaille's and De Neuville's Franco-Prussian War paintings are also superb, and really capture the feeling of the period.
I most emphatically do not include David in my list! A more dishonest "artist" I couldn't imagine!

I like the paintings by Baron Lejeune. Always plenty going on in them.

Saragossa, for instance: picture

Or Borodino: link

Isnt la reve set tho during Franco-Prussian war ? …

(Detaille served in French Army during that period )

I have a lot of Detaille & meisonnier's prints , Some which jump to mind are :

Friedland, 1807 by Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier
Viva L Empereur after Edouard Detaille (Here in NSW Art Gallery whohoo )

but one other one I love , phillopoteaux cuirassiers charging the squares at warterloo

I also like Scotland Forever and have a print of it hanging in my living room.

picture

Jim

Also, The Wounded Trumpeter (1819) – it is so life like! Again, click on the picture to enlarge. I like pictures with dogs:

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picture

I have seveal wonderful works picked up at the a British museum in London a few decades ago. The Napoleonic one is the famous cavalry charge against british squares. i notice something new almost every time that I am able to study it .

Le Dernier Grenadier De Waterloo – The Last Grenadier of Waterloo:

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My favorite, I think the title was "Midnight at Waterloo", not sure of the artist. It showed a field of dead soldiers. After that, "Napoleon on Campaign", Messonier (?)

Ooh, tricky one this!

Scotland Forever would be high up the list….Detaille is always excellent…..the Waterloo Panorama is very impressive, especially the red Lancers charging…..

I will go with the Panorama I think

I have been to the Musee D'Orsay and seeing the Detaille and De Neuville pictures is a real treat.

hussarbob1746.webs.com

All of these Buonapartist painters! One would think hardly anyone but a Frenchman had ever picked up a paintbrush!

I'm going to have to go with Franz Alekseevitch Rubo's
"Battle of Borodino".

link

Regards,

Jeff

Interesting to see that, with a few exceptions, the artists mentioned were active after the Napoleonic period; probably fair to say that Detaille is the doyen of nineteenth-century military artists (and his Franco-Prussian pictures, with de Neuville, are as convincing as one could wish, for obvious reasons). But, among contemporary artists (such as Lejeune, Gros, David and Vernet, mentioned already), the one that captures the spirit as well as the approximate appearance of Napoleonic conflict is surely Gerard's "Austerlitz". As a bonus, it's got the great man himself near to the centre (but, alas, without his greatcoat).

Rochling – Assault on the Cemetery at Plancenoit

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Rubo's Borodino is outstanding. Many thanks to you for reminding me of it. Fascinating that an artist could recapture the spirit of the battle a century later.

Pieneman: battle of Waterloo
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or the lanciers rouge
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and the grenadiers
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Sorry, the Pieneman Waterloo looks as if the faces of the "personages" have been painted on afterwards in detail because they're important! A common enough technique I suppose.

The Waterloo Panorama, by Demoulin is pretty good, if its Waterloo you're after.

Duc de Limbourg,
"The Lanciers rouge" by Hoynck van Papendrecht is also a favorite.
[Only if he had done the Lance pennons correct!]
Regards,

colbert,
white above scarlet for the lanciers rouge isn't it.
We should HvP wake from the dead to correct it

Yes,
& a Dutchman as well ? ;)

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the excellent Napoleonic art work of Keith Rocco, a contemporary American artist who does Napoleonic subjects. His 'Tribute to Caesar,' of the charge of the Polish Light Horse at Somosierra is one of the most striking paintings of the period that I have ever seen, and I am a fan of Detaille and Meissonier.

He has a book out on his paintings, and he captures what a combat soldier is supposed to be with panache and realism. He has done an excellent picture of a Guard foot artillery unit stuck in the mud in the 1814 which is excellent. You can smell the dirt and mud emanating from the painting as well as feel the cold on an overcast winter's day on campaign. Having been stuck in the mud as a battery officer in the winter and at night I identified immediately with the painting.

Sincerely,
K

Keith Rocco's Napoleonic paintings book is called On Campaign in the Age of Napoleon and is available as a limited edition from militaryhistorypress.com

Doug

Does anyone know if there is a book presently available that presents The Waterloo Panorama by Demoulin; I have one on the Gettysburg Cyclorama, the Atlanta Cyclorama and The Battle of Borodino by Rubo.

If anyone knows of one and can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it………

I have these in my office:

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link

I cant recommend Cranston Fine Arts highly enough…two day shipping to the US in perfect order…