Auguste Raffet (French, 1804-1860) Bonaparte... Lot 31

Auguste Raffet (French, 1804-1860) Bonaparte arriving in Italy harangues the army Original canvas. Signed lower left. Height 82 Width 116.5 cm. (restorations and accidents) Gilded wood frame with palmettes (Height 99 Width 134 cm). Provenance: Bordeaux collection. Auguste Raffet. A painting depicting Bonaparte haranguing the army. In a giltwood frame. "Soldiers, you are naked, malnourished; the Government owes you a lot, it can give you nothing. Your patience, the courage you show in the midst of these rocks, is admirable; but it brings you no glory, no lustre. I want to lead you to the most fertile plains of the world. Rich provinces and great cities will be in your power, where you will find honor, glory and riches. Soldiers of Italy, will you lack courage or constancy? Bonaparte's proclamation at the start of the 1st Italian campaign, Nice, March 27, 1796. The nephew of an Empire general, Raffet was one of the main illustrators of the Napoleonic legend. The theme of our painting is that of the first Italian campaign, which saw a 25-year-old general at the head of a composition army successively defeat seven armies and bring victory to the Republic, thus putting an end to the first coalition. The painting can be compared with plates 215 and 215 bis of the painter's lithographic work, depicting Bonaparte arriving in Italy, on a plateau in the Alps, one hand on his saber and the other showing his army the plains of Lombardy.