Napoleon at the Great St. Bernard Pass – Works – Sammlung Online

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The image features a rider sitting atop a rearing horse. The rider is adorned in a historical clothing, including a long, dramatically draped garment, and raises one hand in a gesturing position. In the background, indistinct figures and a mountainous landscape are visible, suggesting a historical scene. The rider's expression is determined.

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Oberes Belvedere
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Napoleon at the Great St. Bernard Pass
Date1801

Künstler*in Jacques Louis David (1748 Paris – 1825 Brüssel)

ULAN

Object typePainting
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
275 × 232 cm
SignatureSign. und dat. auf dem Pferdegurt: J. L. DAVID. F. ANNO X. REI. C., sowie bez. unten links: BONAPARTE / ANNIBAL [sic!] / KAROLUS MAGNUS . iMP [ligiert]
Inventory number2089
Locations Belvedere, Upper Belvedere, 1. Floor (west), Room SW3
The wind in his back—his red cape is literally flying ahead of him—Napoleon (1769–1821) is riding over the Great St. Bernhard Pass. His horse is rearing up, yet Napoleon is unperturbed and keeps his eyes fixed on his goal: Italy. At this time, Napoleon was still the First Consul of the French Republic, but he yearned for more, setting his sights on the imperial crown. And the names chiseled into the rocks proclaim this loud and clear. “Bonaparte” is positioned obviously above Hannibal and Charlemagne, the two historical figures to boldly cross the Alps before him. Napoleon at the Great St. Bernhard Pass is a propaganda picture par excellence, and no painter was better suited to this task than Jacques-Louis David. His ability to transform historical events into propaganda was unrivalled.

Provenance
Exhibitions

Mailand.
1834 Kaiserliche Gemäldegalerie
1921 Übernahme aus dem Kunsthistorischen Museum, Wien

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