Bonaparte Crossing the Alps

Paul Delaroche

1848 · Oil on canvas · Musée du Louvre, Paris

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Bonaparte Crossing the Alps

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey

Napoleon Crossing the Alps

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Paul Delaroche (1797–1856)
Year: 1848
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 289 × 222 cm
Collection: Musée du Louvre, Paris (on deposit at the Louvre-Lens)
Movement: Academic

Bonaparte, huddled in a grey greatcoat on a mule led by a local guide, picks his way over the Great St Bernard Pass in May 1800 with a tired face and his hat pulled down against the wind. Delaroche painted it in 1848 for the Earl of Onslow, who wanted the crossing as it had actually happened, in deliberate answer to David's rearing horse and flying cloak; the mule, the guide and the weather all come from the memoirs of the campaign. Delaroche made several versions; the first, now in Liverpool, was followed by this one, bought by the Louvre in 1982 and on deposit at the Louvre-Lens. The picture's realism was taken by some as a slight on the emperor, but it became almost as popular an image of him as the David it corrects.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A grey-coated general on a mule picking across a snowy mountain pass, in grey, white and blue-black, for a study, hallway or office at 24×36 in black. Slate, stone or deep blue walls suit the snow; pair it with David's Napoleon Crossing the Alps for the myth and the fact.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Exhibition poster of a Academic painting
Era: 19th century (1848)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: grand
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. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Bonaparte Crossing the Alps in the public domain?

Yes. Paul Delaroche (1797–1856) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Musée du Louvre.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Bonaparte Crossing the Alps painted, and in what medium?

Bonaparte Crossing the Alps dates from 1848 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 289 × 222 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Bonaparte Crossing the Alps we'd choose 24×36.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Paul Delaroche's Bonaparte Crossing the Alps — Napoleon huddled in a grey greatcoat on a mule led across the snowy pass by a guide — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. History Painting and The Romantic Age, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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