On December 2, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte became the emperor of the French and held a spectacular coronation ceremony at the Notre-Dame Cathedral. He would later on become the King of Italy. This historical event was depicted in the painting Le Sacre de Napoléon translated as, The Coronation of Napoleon. This was a work done by Napoleon’s official painter, Jacques – Louis David. He was commissioned to work on this painting because Napoleon was aware of the power of art in molding a good public image and his painter’s ability in creating inspirational and patriotic visuals. David officially started working on the painting a little more than a year after the coronation on December 21, 1805 in Paris, France. He had a student assistant named Georges Rouget who was responsible for the finishing touches on November 1807. It was first exhibited in 1808.
When Napoleon saw the painting for the first time, he immediately noticed that the pope was indeed featured but without any special bearing on the painting. It is important to note that Napoleon brought the pope from Rome to France especially for the coronation. He declared that he did not bring the pope such a long way to do nothing. As a result, David had to add the vague gesture of a blessing by raising the hand of the pope.
The historical facts that were depicted in the painting included the presence of Napoleon’s architects who decorated the cathedral for the event namely Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine. He also faithfully represented the actual kneeling of Napoleon’s first wife Josephine in receiving her crown and Pope Pius VII seated behind the new emperor. Others who were featured in the painting included Napoleon’s siblings namely Joseph, Louis, Caroline, Pauline, and Elisa, his stepdaughter Hortense de Beauharnais, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Charlie Talleyrand and other ministers, his sister-in-law Julie Clary, the retinues of the emperor and the empress, and the representative group of the clergy. David was also depicted in the painting seated in the balconies of spectators.
However, there were some evidences that the painter made some changes according to Napoleon’s wishes which were inaccurate during the coronation. For example, the emperor wanted the pope to be painted with his hand raised in blessing and the attendance of Napoleon’s mother who appears prominently in the center background. Both of these events never actually happened as his mother refused to attend the coronation.
References:
1. Antoine, P. L. (n. d.). Napoleon Crowning Himself Emperor before the Pope. Retrieved from http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/napoleon-crowning-himself-emperor-pope
2. Gardner, H. & Kleiner, F. (2010). Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective, Volume 2. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=UK_jTggtYl8C
