Napoleon Crossing the Alps
1801 · Oil on canvas · Château de Malmaison, Rueil-Malmaison
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This print
About this work
- Artist
- Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825)
- Year
- 1801
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 261 × 221 cm
- Collection
- Château de Malmaison, Rueil-Malmaison
- Movement
- Neoclassicism
Bonaparte, cloak flying, points the way over the Great St Bernard Pass on a rearing grey while his army labours up the mountain behind him and the names of Hannibal and Charlemagne are carved into the rocks beside his own. The crossing of May 1800, which led to the victory at Marengo, had in fact been made on a mule in fine weather; Napoleon told David that likeness mattered less than genius and asked to be painted calm on a fiery horse. This first version was commissioned by Charles IV of Spain and hung in Madrid until Joseph Bonaparte carried it off; it came to the Château de Malmaison, Josephine's house outside Paris, where it remains. David's studio made four further versions, now at Charlottenburg, Versailles and the Belvedere, and the composition became the defining image of Napoleon as a man of destiny.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A general in a billowing red cloak on a rearing grey horse against alpine storm clouds, for a study, hallway or office at 24×36 in black. Navy, slate grey or deep red walls bring out the cloak; hang it with Napoleon in His Study for a pair.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Neoclassicism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1801)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- intimate
- Rooms
- hallway or entryway, study or library, home office, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — natural wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Napoleon Crossing the Alps in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Napoleon Crossing the Alps painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
