Tango01 | 15 Feb 2020 9:40 p.m. PST |
Superb! "The Romantic spirit of battle, victory, and death captivated Baron Gros. Here the French army of Napoleon, while vastly outnumbered, defeats the Turks in a violent battle near the coast of Egypt. The Turkish pasha offers his sword to the French general amidst a scene of bloody destruction. This is a sketch for a larger, final painting now in Versailles; its quick execution conveys excitement with great immediacy." And by memory … so close was the hand-to-hand combat … that Murat at close range suffered a pistol shot from the Pasha himself who hit his face (cheek) and pierced his mouth from side to side … this serves as an example for those who ask if Murat was ever in a hand-to-hand combat with the enemy …
Main page link Amicalement Armand
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Durban Gamer | 16 Feb 2020 4:40 a.m. PST |
Yes dramatic indeed! Maybe the near-naked fellas are fellahin – certainly not Mamluks |
Au pas de Charge | 16 Feb 2020 10:29 a.m. PST |
Do people ask if Murat was ever in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy? |
Robert le Diable | 16 Feb 2020 12:48 p.m. PST |
Notice, too, the injured right hand of the furious, bearded leader who is attempting to arrest the flight of one subordinate; the sword is actually being rendered up by the Pasha's son. Gros was certainly a witness of the Battle of Arcole (he had previously met Josephine de Beauharnais), but I can't recall if he were among the various Savants &c. who accompanied the Army of Egypt. |
Tango01 | 16 Feb 2020 3:18 p.m. PST |
Believe it or not… some people did… as for Napoleon… Amicalement Armand |
Green Tiger | 17 Feb 2020 2:10 a.m. PST |
Ah… Painted 'c.1805' – that makes more sense |
Stoppage | 17 Feb 2020 5:57 a.m. PST |
Column of dragoons in centre far distance – using mounted firearms |
von Winterfeldt | 17 Feb 2020 6:04 a.m. PST |
see it as a piece of art – by the way I always had the impression that the cic was Boney and not Murat at this battle. |
Oliver Schmidt | 17 Feb 2020 7:41 a.m. PST |
The later painting is of much better quality, and is signed "Gros. 1806.":
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Au pas de Charge | 17 Feb 2020 9:37 a.m. PST |
Tango, I dont see how this is even remotely possible. How many cavalry charges did this man lead? |
Tango01 | 17 Feb 2020 11:11 a.m. PST |
Dozens….! (smile) Interesting question would be if Wellington have any hand to hand encounter… I presume he did in India when he was a young officer… (?)
Amicalement Armand |
Robert le Diable | 17 Feb 2020 12:57 p.m. PST |
I think this was the only time in the Egypt &c. campaign that the French cavalry acted together in large numbers, as distinct from outpost duty and reconnaissance in small detachments. |
SHaT1984 | 17 Feb 2020 3:04 p.m. PST |
>>see it as a piece of art – and as usual 'romanticised' to hell as they wanted to 'sell' the story! Everyone knows no ADC would be in full (European) hussar dress uniform in mid-Summer in Egypt even if 1799. As to alegorical references, without further research on accuracy, the wiki cites:- "Murat's charge was so rapid that he burst inside Mustafa's tent and captured the Turkish commander, severing two of the Turk's fingers with his sabre. In return, Mustafa shot Murat in the jaw. Immediately, Murat was operated on and resumed his duties the next day." But hey, nice stuff… many 'famous' paintings were created by pupils and understudies of even more famour artists, hence the several and multiple copies that exist outside 'official' museums. Is the Napoleonic Society of America still going? I was on their inaugural visit to France in '84 and got into some cool places many others were not allowed to go! Cheers d |