Paintings
The Coronation of Napoleon
Jacques-Louis David
1805–1807
David’s vast canvas records the coronation of Napoleon I and Empress Joséphine at Notre-Dame de Paris on 2 December 1804. Rather than the moment Napoleon crowned himself, David chose to show him crowning Joséphine, a more graceful and politically tactful scene. More than a hundred identifiable portraits fill the cathedral, and the artist himself appears in the gallery.
Historical Context
David was appointed First Painter to the Emperor and completed this propaganda masterpiece over about three years. Pope Pius VII, who attended, sits behind Napoleon with his hand raised in blessing, a detail added at Napoleon’s request. The painting is a supreme statement of imperial pageantry.
Provenance
Commissioned by Napoleon; displayed at the Salon of 1808, then at Versailles, and eventually moved to the Louvre in 1889.
Details
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 621 × 979 cm
- Department
- Paintings
- Period / Era
- Neoclassical
- Origin
- France
- Location in museum
- Denon Wing, First Floor — Room 702
About the Artist
Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825) was the towering figure of Neoclassical painting in France. A supporter of the Revolution and later of Napoleon, he trained a generation of artists, including Ingres, and exiled himself to Brussels after the Bourbon restoration.