Portrait of Napoléon Bonaparte, The First Council
Ingres created this painting upon a commission of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who had promised it to the citizens if the town of Liege, Belgium, as a sign of appreciation for their graciousness, despite their miserable condition after Austrian bombardment. Unable to get Napoleon to sit for the painting, Ingres had to recreate the emperor’s image based off an 1802 portrait by Jean-Antoine Gros. In the painting, Napoleon is signing a decree, the same decree that gave 300,000 francs to the town of Liege for rebuilding their city. Unlike the Gros painting, Napoleon is depicted not as the conquering hero, but as a civilian officer, doing the duty of the people.
