Why was the iconic portrait of Napoleon I on the throne called "barbaric"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Few world leaders understand the value of visual art and its role in the political work of a leader. The beneficial function of art has always been recognized by Napoleon Bonaparte. Throughout his political career and until his complete removal from office in 1815, Napoleon used art (and the talent of artists) to demonstrate his political power. One of the most famous depictions of the French leader is the 1806 painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres "Napoleon on his Imperial Throne."

Now the most iconic portrait of Emperor Napoleon I, Ingres was initially dismissed as overly Gothic, archaic and even "barbaric". In this work, Ingres portrays Napoleon not only as the emperor of the French, but also as a divine ruler. The richly decorated, newly crowned emperor is represented amid a hodgepodge of Roman, Byzantine and Carolingian symbols.

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

A promising young student of Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) was one of several artists officially commissioned to depict Napoleon wearing one of many coronation robes. It is not known exactly who ordered the work. However, the Legislatif Corps bought the painting on August 26, 1806 and assigned it to the reception room of the President of the Assembly. Soon after the turn of the 19th century, Ingres was one of the rising stars and new voices of the French neoclassical movement. This art style was founded in part by the prestigious teacher Ingres. Ingres's main goal in preparing the portraits of the French leader was the glorification of Napoleon. Therefore, the artist used furniture, clothing and furnishings to transform Napoleon from a mere mortal into a powerful god. Ingres' painting was inspired by the art of the historical depiction of power. It was a strategy similarly used by Napoleon himself, who often used symbols of the Roman and Holy Roman empires to strengthen his rule.

Throne

Everything in the picture iconographically expresses the legitimacy of this new type of ruler - the Emperor. Napoleon sits on an imposing, rounded and gilded throne, similar to the one on which God sits in Jan van Eyck's Flemish masterpiece The Altar of Ghent (1430–32).

By the way, during the Napoleonic wars, the central panels of the altar of Ghent with the image of God on the throne were in the Napoleon Museum (now the Louvre) - exactly at the moment when Ingres was painting the portrait of Napoleon. The armrests in Ingres's portrait are made of pilasters topped with carved imperial eagles and polished ivory spheres. A winged imperial eagle also appears on the carpet in the foreground. Two cartouches can be seen on the left side of the rug. The highest are the scales of justice (some interpret this as a symbol of the zodiac sign of Libra), and the second is the image of Raphael's Madonna (Ingres admired him very much).

Robe and look

Not only the throne speaks of the divinity of the leader. On his head is a golden laurel wreath, a sign of domination (and in a broader sense, victory). Napoleon in the picture looks intently and firmly at the viewer. In addition, Napoleon is blinded by the luxury of his own clothing and the trappings of his power. It carries in itself a riot of regalia of the distant Carolingian past: in the left hand of Napoleon there is a rod, crowned with the hand of justice, and with his right hand he grabs the scepter of Charlemagne. This scepter positions Napoleon as the successor to the French royal family. An extravagant medal from the Legion d'honneur hangs from the Emperor's shoulders on a chain inlaid with gold and precious stones. The Medal of the Legion of Honor rests on the splendid maid collar of the patron. The huge throne and the weasel's robes are adorned with bees (a symbol of the empire).

Society assessment

Surprisingly, the painting did not meet with public approval when it was presented at the Salon in 1806. More importantly, Jean-François Leonore Mérimée, the man tasked with determining whether the finished work was suitable for the Emperor, did not like it. Even by his own teacher, Jacques-Louis David, the canvas was dismissed as "illegible." As the neoclassical style began to weaken and society preferred a more natural and modern view of power, Ingres's complex collection of historical motives seemed retrograde and outdated. Admiring the artist's technical prowess, Mérimée felt that these references to the art of the past went too far, calling the work "gothic and barbaric." Mérimée believed that the portrait would not be accepted by the palace. In addition, the Emperor's face was not quite like him. Therefore, the painting never went to the emperor. In 1832, King Louis-Philippe donated the canvas to the Hôtel National des Invalides, where it is located to this day.

Despite the controversial assessment of society, Ingres opened a new twist on the neoclassical style and demonstrated his interest in art history references and stylistic experimentation. Napoleon Ingres can be read as a figure with quasi-divine power. The artist literally excludes Napoleon Bonaparte from the ranks of mortals on earth and turns him into the Greek or Roman god of Olympus.

Indeed, he sits in a position similar to that of the Greek god Zeus in the famous sculpture of Phidias (destroyed long ago, but preserved in Roman copies). Napoleon can also be compared with the painting of Ingres himself in 1811 - "Jupiter and Thetis". The colossal size of the canvas and neoclassical precision eloquently demonstrate the political power and military power of Napoleon. The general message of this picture is not just the coronation of Napoleon, but his divine apotheosis.