The Great Gallery
← Art Through History › Age of Reason & Revolution

1799–1815

Napoleon & the Napoleonic Wars

Napoleon Bonaparte rose from a Corsican officer to emperor of France in 1804. His armies won huge victories at Austerlitz and Jena but failed in Russia in 1812, and he was finally beaten at Waterloo in 1815 and exiled to Saint Helena. His laws and ideas still shape Europe.

Why artists painted it

Napoleon hired the greatest painters of his age to make him look like a god-hero, while others, like Goya, painted what his wars really did to people.

The Coronation of Napoleon The Coronation of Napoleon · Jacques-Louis David, 1807

13 artworks about this moment

The Coronation of Napoleon The Coronation of Napoleon Jacques-Louis David · 1807 👁️ Painted at the time Napoleon crowns himself and then his wife Josephine in Notre-Dame in 1804. David was there, sketching. Bonaparte at the Pont d'Arcole Bonaparte at the Pont d'Arcole Antoine-Jean Gros · 1796 👁️ Painted at the time Young General Bonaparte leads the charge at Arcole in 1796, the picture that made his legend. Bonaparte Crossing the Alps Bonaparte Crossing the Alps Paul Delaroche · 1848 🕰️ Painted 33 years later Delaroche shows Napoleon crossing the Alps on a mule, the realistic cousin of David's heroic version. The Distribution of the Eagle Standards The Distribution of the Eagle Standards Jacques-Louis David · 1810 👁️ Painted at the time After the coronation, Napoleon hands out the eagle banners to his regiments. The Third of May 1808 The Third of May 1808 Francisco Goya · 1814 👁️ Painted at the time Goya's answer to Napoleon's army: a firing squad in Madrid executes Spanish citizens. The Second of May 1808 The Second of May 1808 Francisco Goya · 1814 👁️ Painted at the time The people of Madrid rise up against French troops in the uprising that began the Peninsular War. The Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar J. M. W. Turner · 1823 👁️ Painted at the time Turner paints the 1805 sea battle where Nelson's fleet destroyed the French and Spanish ships. The Death of Nelson The Death of Nelson Benjamin West · 1806 👁️ Painted at the time Benjamin West shows Admiral Nelson dying on his flagship at the moment of victory. Napoleon near Borodino Napoleon near Borodino Vasily Vereshchagin · 1897 🕰️ Painted 82 years later Napoleon watches the huge Battle of Borodino in 1812 from a hill, looking small and uncertain among his generals. The Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz François Gérard · 1810 👁️ Painted at the time Napoleon on horseback directs his army at Austerlitz on December 2, 1805, where he won his greatest victory against the Russians and Austrians. Charge of the French Cuirassiers at Waterloo Charge of the French Cuirassiers at Waterloo Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux · 1874 🕰️ Painted 59 years later Armored French cavalry charge up the slope at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, the battle where Napoleon was finally defeated. Crossing the Berezina River Crossing the Berezina River Peter von Hess · 1844 🕰️ Painted 29 years later In November 1812, Napoleon's army fights to cross the freezing Berezina River in Russia as it retreats. The Duke of Wellington The Duke of Wellington Thomas Lawrence · 1815 👁️ Painted at the time Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, the British general who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, in a portrait by Thomas Lawrence of 1815 in his scarlet uniform.