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The Coronation of Napoleon (French: Le Sacre de Napoléon) is a painting completed in 1807 by Jacques-Louis David, the official painter of Napoleon, depicting the coronation of Napoleon at Notre-Dame de Paris. The oil painting has imposing dimensions – it is almost 10 metres (33 ft) wide by a little over 6 metres (20 ft) tall. The work is on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

History of the work

The work was commissioned by Napoleon orally in September 1804, and Jacques-Louis David started work on it on 21 December 1805 in the former chapel of the College of Cluny, near the Sorbonne, which served as a workshop. Assisted by his student Georges Rouget, he put the finishing touches in January 1808.

From 7 February to 22 March 1808, the work was exhibited at the Salon of 1808 at the Louvre, and it was presented to the Salon decennial prize competition at the Salon of 1810. The painting remained the property of David until 1819 when it was transferred to the Royal Museums, where it was stored in the reserves until 1837. It was subsequently installed in the Chamber Sacre of the museum of the historical Palace of Versailles on the orders of King Louis-Philippe. In 1889, the painting was transferred to the Louvre from Versailles.

David was commissioned by American entrepreneurs to paint a full size replica in 1808, immediately after the release of the original. He began work that year, painting it from memory, but didn't finish until 1822 during his exile in Brussels. The replica was eventually returned to France in 1947 to the original's place in the Palace of Versailles.

The painting is a subject of The Public Viewing David's 'Coronation' at the Louvre, a painting by Louis-Léopold Boilly done in 1810, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Composition

The composition is organized around several axes, and incorporates the rules of neoclassicism. One axis is that which passes through the cross and has a vertical orientation. A diagonal line runs from the pope to the empress. All eyes are turned towards Napoleon, who is the center of the composition. Napoleon, Pius, and Josephine are illustrated in profile upon the steps towards the altar. The Emblem of the Holy See is hung above the attendants to the left while La Pietà de Notre-Dame de Paris is partially seen at the rightmost edge of the canvas.

Characters

Napoleon I (1769–1821) is standing, dressed in coronation robes similar to those of Roman emperors. Others are merely passive spectators. In the actual painting, it is possible to see the outline of what was originally painted: Napoleon holding the crown above his own head, as if placing it on himself.

Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763–1814) is kneeling in a submissive position, as called for in the French Civil Code. She received the crown from the hands of her husband, not the pope. Her robe is decorated with silk and was possibly intended to convey support of the Lyon silk manufacturers the Revolution had harmed.

Maria Letizia Ramolino (1750–1836), mother of Napoleon, was placed in the stands by the painter. She occupies a place more important than the pope. Actually, she did not attend the ceremony in order to protest the friction of Napoleon with his brothers, Lucien and Joseph. Maria Letizia asked the painter to give Lucien a place of honour. In 1808, when Napoleon discovered the canvas completed in the workshop of David, he was enthralled and expressed his gratitude.

Louis Bonaparte (1778–1846), who in 1806, at the beginning of the Empire, received the title of grand constable, King of Holland. He married Hortense de Beauharnais, the daughter of Josephine.

Joseph Bonaparte (1768–1844), who, after the coronation, received the title of Prince Imperial. Afterwards, he was King of Naples in 1806 and Spain in 1808.

The young Napoleon Charles Bonaparte (1802–1807), son of Louis Bonaparte and Hortense de Beauharnais.

The sisters of Napoleon. In the replica, the dress of Napoleon's favorite sister is pink. This is the only change in the replica, despite it having been painted from memory.

节选，摘自英文维基百科「The Coronation of Napoleon」，按 CC BY-SA 4.0 使用。