Large 19th Century Oil Painting Military Dress Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte Wearing the Grand Cross of the Légion D’honneur

Details

Description

19th Century French Napoleon I Military Oil Portrait After Robert Lefèvre c.1870

An imposing 19th-century French School oil portrait of … Read more 19th Century French Napoleon I Military Oil Portrait After Robert Lefèvre c.1870

An imposing 19th-century French School oil portrait of Napoleon I (1769–1821), circa 1870, after and adapted from Robert Lefèvre (1755–1830), depicting the Emperor in Imperial Guard uniform with Légion d’honneur insignia, ceremonial sword and substantial gilt-framed presence.

Highlights

French School, circa 1870
Napoleon I (1769–1821), Emperor of the French
After and adapted from Robert Lefèvre (1755–1830)
Third quarter of the 19th century
Broader working range circa 1860–1880
Oil on canvas
Historically relined
Large oval three-quarter-length portrait
Imperial Guard military uniform
Broad red Légion d’honneur sash
Prominent silver breast star
Gold-fringed epaulettes
Elaborate ceremonial sword
Faint and presently indecipherable painted signature and/or inscription
Historic Thomas Kerr Antiques Ltd., London label
Special Auction Services inventory label
Just Mirrors, Fulham Road, London label
Substantial later decorative gilt frame

The Portrait

Napoleon is presented directly against a restrained warm brown ground.

His dark blue military coat contrasts dramatically with the brilliant white front of his uniform. Gold buttons and substantial fringed epaulettes provide ceremonial richness, while the broad red sash creates the strongest colour accent across the composition.

Prominent breast insignia further emphasises his Imperial status.

Napoleon's hand rests upon an elaborate gilt sword hilt, reinforcing his identity as military commander as well as Emperor.

The result is an imposing historical portrait designed to communicate authority through uniform, honours and military symbolism rather than an elaborate narrative setting.

Robert Lefèvre and Napoleon

Detailed comparative research indicates that the strongest artistic source for the composition is the official Napoleonic portrait tradition established by Robert Jacques François Faust Lefèvre.

Lefèvre became an important portrait painter to Napoleon and the Imperial family and produced numerous representations of the Emperor in military and ceremonial dress.

Of particular importance is Lefèvre's signed and dated 1805 portrait depicting Napoleon as Colonel of the Foot Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard, wearing the cross and Grand Eagle of the Légion d’honneur and presented within a painted oval.

Lefèvre's compositions were subsequently copied and adapted by other painters, allowing his official imagery to continue long after Napoleon's lifetime.

Attribution

The present portrait does not appear to be a mechanically exact copy of one known Lefèvre canvas.

Instead, the unknown 19th-century painter appears to have combined established elements of Lefèvre's Napoleonic portrait vocabulary within a larger three-quarter-length composition.

The painting is therefore responsibly catalogued:

After and adapted from Robert Lefèvre (1755–1830).

This terminology recognises the relationship with Lefèvre's established portrait tradition without suggesting authorship by Lefèvre himself, his studio or his immediate circle.

The Légion d’honneur

Napoleon founded the Légion d’honneur in 1802.

The broad red sash and prominent insignia within the portrait belong to the ceremonial language through which Napoleon's military and Imperial authority was represented.

Their inclusion therefore has historical as well as decorative significance.

The Faint Signature

Close examination reveals a faint painted signature and/or inscription within the background.

The surviving marks appear sufficiently distinct from the surrounding craquelure to warrant recording, but cannot presently be deciphered with sufficient confidence to identify the painter.

Further technical examination may potentially reveal additional information.

Dating

The painting is catalogued circa 1870, within a broader working range of approximately 1860–1880.

This period coincides with renewed cultural interest in Napoleon I during and around the French Second Empire.

The dating represents an informed stylistic and historical assessment rather than a documented execution year.

Provenance

Earlier provenance presently unrecorded.

Thomas Kerr Antiques Ltd., 11 Theberton Street, London N1; historic trade label retained verso.

Just Mirrors, 675 Fulham Road, London SW6 5PZ; historic framing/trade label retained verso.

Special Auction Services; inventory/handling label retained verso.

Thereafter in the collection/inventory of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.

Dimensions

Overall framed dimensions:

Height: approximately 42.91 inches

Width: approximately 35.43 inches

Depth: approximately 1.57 inches

Metric dimensions approximately 109 × 90 × 4 cm.
*Main Colours

Dark Navy Blue
Gold
Warm Brown

Accent Colours

Imperial Red
Ivory White
Silver


Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution

The artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.

Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®

Specialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art.

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