L. MARIN-LAVIGNE (*1797) after LALLEMAND (*1716),... Lot 266

L. MARIN-LAVIGNE (*1797) after LALLEMAND (*1716), Napoleon Bonaparte with monocular, Lithography Louis Stanislas Marin-Lavigne (1797 Paris - 1860 ibid.) after Jean-Baptiste Lallemand (1716 Dijon - around 1803 Paris): Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte as a general with monoculars, 19th century, Lithography Technique: Lithography on China paper, rolled-on on Paper Inscription: At the lower part signed in the printing plate: "L'allemand pinxt. / Marin Lavigne lith.". At the lower part inscribed in the printing plate: "Napoléon / Paris, publié par Jeannin, Place du Louvre, 20. / Herausgegeben von F.C.Vogel in Frankfurt S./M.". Date: 19th century Description: In this half-length portrait, Napoleon Bonaparte is depicted as a general and commander, prominent but at the same time forlorn. As a silent observer of a battle, his focussed gaze is distracted by an event to his left. Taking the telescope from his eye, the experienced tactician follows a turn of battlefield fortune that was to have devastating consequences for him. Retrospectively, the portrait artist Conrad L'Allemand, who is best known for his portraits of the royal family of Hanover, was evidently concerned with the rise of Napoleon and the decline of his power after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. This portrait shows the once mighty Emperor of the French in a tense posture with slumped shoulders, the epaulettes of his uniform roughly displaced and the medals of the Legion of Honour and the Order of the Iron Crown proudly worn on his chest shamefacedly concealed by his hand and the cuff of his coat. In the right background, the cavalry of the Grande Armée rides through the gunpowder vapour of Prussian artillery and disappears like shadows in the mist. In this portrait of Napoleon, the artist, who lamented the spread of photography, especially towards the end of his creative period, provides an impressive example of the way in which painting and graphic art can carry a meaningful content beyond the lifelike depiction of a person, which can often only be recognised in finely accentuated details. Keywords: Napoleon Bonaparte; half-length portrait; general; commander; battle; telescope; concentrated gaze; tactician; fighting skill; Battle of Waterloo; Conrad LAllemand; royal family of Hanover; rise of Napoleon; decline of power; Emperor of the French; uniform; epaulettes; badge of honour; Legion of Honour; Order of the Iron Crown; gunpowder; Prussian guns; Grande Armée; cavalry; fog; painting; graphic; photography; meaningful content; details, 19th century, Biedermeier, Portraits, France, Size: Paper: 66,9 cm x 43,6 cm (26,3 x 17,2 in), Depiction: 40,5 cm x 32,3 cm (15,9 x 12,7 in)