"Painting: LE GÉNÉRAL BERTHIER by Lejeune" Topic

Hello everyone,

Found this beautiful painting by Baron Lejeune depicting the Berthier brothers in the second campaign of Italy. The link provides a close-up. link

That's a good find!

Jim

great find, pity one cannot download the close ups there they show incredible detail.

Great samples for my Revolutionary French Command line..
Thanks! :-)

Nice Mike,
Sorry I thought everyone had that pic already?
My copy is a 3.3Mpx taken in 2019 and can enlarge very well to see all details. Image Size:2000x1643
Has the original been reduced?

Note knowing who is who actually, but the horse furniture seems a bit gussied up for mere ADCs to a GDB. But the nice looking horse artillery, and a deployed battery on the far hill, the dragoon and hussars in red shakos… mmmm,
cheers d

Dave,

I have seen only the officer on the right before. Could you upload a larger pic? Would be great to see all the details!

I could, but not sure we'd get away with it.

ALT: For 'fixed' pages where downloading isn't permitted;

Using a Mozilla browser; go to Tools; select Page Info; go to Media tab; scroll through list of items on that page- usually it will be named correctly but may have a hashed number; copy the title first and then when you select 'Save As' paste in the correct title. You will see all the meta-data in the Media page list.

If that doesn't work I'll give you my throwaway email addy.
My sub here hasn't been renewed yet,
cheer d

But heres the snippets at best res left to right …

A

‌©sothebys.com-auctions-2014:genl berthier- a1611.

B

‌©sothebys.com-auctions-2014:genl berthier- b1611.

C

‌©sothebys.com-auctions-2014:genl berthier- c1611.

cheers

thanks for the snippets, about the persons depicted

En 1799-1800 Louis-Alexandre Berthier est général de division. Le tableau le représente accompagné de deux de ses trois frères qui embrassèrent tous la carrière militaire, Louis-César- Gabriel (1765-1819), Victor-Léopold (1770-1807) et le plus jeune, issu d'un second mariage, Joseph-Alexandre, premier vicomte Berthier (1792-1849).
Le tableau montre Louis-Alexandre Berthier, Louis-César-Gabriel et Victor-Léopold pendant une bataille de la seconde campagne d'Italie, probablement Marengo, le 14 juin 1800, à laquelle nous savons que participèrent Louis-Alexandre et Louis-César-Gabriel, le premier à la tête de l'armée de réserve qui traverse les Alpes et le second en tant qu'Adjudant-Commandant de Murat. On ne sait pas si Victor-Léopold Berthier, qui s'est illustré à la bataille de la Trebbia en 1799, était présent à Marengo.
Il est vraisemblable que ce tableau a été commandé par la famille Berhier pour commémorer les exploits des trois frères lors de la campagne d'Italie.
Louis-François Lejeune, peintre de batailles et officier dans l'armée de Napoléon 1er, mena de front une carrière artistique et une carrière militaire. Il fut aide de camp du général Berthier de 1800 à 1812, année où il fut nommé général de brigade. Présent à la bataille de Marengo, Lejeune a représenté ce combat dans une grande toile exposée aux Salons de 1801 et 1802 (conservée au musée de Versailles).
Pour une illustration du tabeau dans le Salon des Huissiers de Grosbois, voir la reproduction (fig.2) p.116.

well try Mozilla as Shat 1984 suggested, somehow after pressing some buttons it did work for me.

Superb, thanks vW !

well call it mediocre – not that splendid 3 MB as you achieved – much smaller.

This painting would merit deeper discussion, we see the new

1798 regulation, Berthier a nominal général en chef wears the white / red sash – and the regulation red collar – as well as one of his brothers to the left, which I would identify as général de brigade, but with this odd saddle cloth – whereas the other brother with blue collar, more in line with an 12 regulations – but also a général de brigade and not an Adjutant commandant -but clearly with a light blue sash and general's saddle cloth, highest rank of an Adjutant commandant, in case I am not mistaken, was a chef de brigade (Colonel) at this time?

Oh dear, sorry that was MegaPixels, not MB; its only 1.5MB or Image Size: 2000x1643.
If you have smaller than that I can email. Drop me a line to-
"groupsmaster_AT_mail.com" and I'll zip and send. Mike you too.

You're the regulations guy but I'd agree with everything else- though the inconsistencies may be just eccentric mannerisms of the time- the apparently blue baudrier with gold ornamentation?
Ivory handled sword. I notice the continuance of white cuff flaps that were most common in the Rev.Wars period.

I'm sure you are correct about the Adj.Cmdt. ranks. They are somewhat curious later as many do not have stated ranks but I'm unsure of when (presumably under Bonaparte] the change occured to a 'professional' admin corps as opposed to co-opted officers. I only admit to this because, in my insanity, I have determined to create each and every staff level that existsed for my chosen men [25mm French… gaming army].

regards, getting late… and a glass of wine has helped immensely,
d

I have no clue of later uniforms, there my interest drops and more the later the Napoleonic period, but this is quite in line with other portraits of that time, I attached one of MacDonald and send to you, here a red baudrier.

The swords might be even regulation , white cuffs, yes indeed but notice to the Berthier brother behind old Alexandre, no white cuff flaps on his cuffs.

The Adjudant Commandants were in earlier times known as Adjutants généraux – and wore the identical uniform as generals minus the embroidery – this was stopped then in 1798, I will have a look on this, but as far as I know chef de brigade / Colonel was their highest rank.

Le Publiciste, 30 messidor an 8.

De Paris, le 29 messidor. Les consuls ont arrêté, le 24 de ce mois, que la dénomination de général ne sera plus donnée qu'aux généraux en chef, aux généraux de division et aux généraux de brigade. Les officiers actuellement connus sous le nom d'adjudants-généraux seront à l'avenir désignés par celui d'adjudants-commandants, et les inspecteurs généraux aux revues, par celui d'inspecteurs en chef aux revues.

for more

1789-1815.com/adj-cdt.htm

but this gives the an 12 uniform.

More:::::

On the right hand figure, a Russian modeller identifies him as 'General Victor-Leopold Berthier'. As he has two stars on his epaulettes, he fits in well as promoted in the field in 1799.

From link

"En 1793, servant sous les ordres du général Kellermann, il se fit remarquer dans cette campagne par son intrépidité et par plusieurs traits de bravoure qui lui firent décerner un sabre d'honneur. Dans toutes les campagnes d'Italie il ne se distingua pas moins par son énergie que par son courage.

En 1794, il fut nommé chef de bataillon et ingénieur-géographe ; créé adjudant-général le 7 septembre 1797.

Successivement aide de camp des généraux Lamarque et Custine, il devient eu 1799 chef d'état-major du maréchal Masséna à l'armée de Naples. Sa bravoure à la bataille de la Trebbia lui vaut d'être nommé général de brigade sur le champ de bataille le 19 juin 1799.

En 1801, alors attaché à l'état-major de la 1re division militaire (Paris), Napoléon le chargea de rassembler les débris de l'armée d'Égypte, de les passer eu revue et de les réorganiser".

link

regards, d

And while on the brothers:- I've taken the liberty to lighten this only copy I could find of this excellent period costume- must be Naples as the ships and erupting volcano fits his position that year:-

‌GBD Victor-Leopold Berthier 1799 by the painter Louis Gauffier (1761-1801) [x_lightened]
by DaveW, on Flickr.

cheers