1805, Cuirassiers before the Charge

Localisation : The Gallery of Painting
Année de création :1878
Artiste :Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier

Description

In his ambitious paintings, Meissonier wanted to recount the great Napoleonic epic that was still inspiring the artists of the 19th century. He was already a recognised artist, whose paintings were being snapped up and hugely popular in collections when he finished this painting, which was presented at the 1878 World Exhibition. Although it depicts Napoleonic combats, this composition does not place the Emperor to the fore. He can just be made out in the distance, wearing his bicorn hat, with his arm stretched out towards the theatre of operations. The officers advance and the cavalry are in rank behind them. Set in a dull, overcast landscape, where the furrowed earth vies with the low sky, Meissonnier seems to have wanted to depict the energy and excitement before the battle. This is probably what appealed to the Duke of Aumale, who acquired this painting on his return from exile in 1889, for a substantial price.