VERNET, Carle
(b. 1758, Bordeaux, d. 1836, Paris)

Equestrian Portrait of of Emperor Napoleon I

1805-10
Oil on canvas, 134 x 112 cm
Private collection

By tradition, this painting was given by Napoleon to General Anne Jean Marie René Savary, Duke of Rovigo (1774-1833). Savary's devotion to Emperor Napoleon was unquestioned, and he was among the last to desert him at his abdication on 11 April 1814.

The painting is signed lower left: Carle. Vernet.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 51 minutes):
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) in E Flat major op. 55 (1803)