The Battle of Wagram | |
---|---|
Artist | Horace Vernet |
Year | 1836 |
Type | Oil on canvas, history painting |
Dimensions | 465 cm× 543 cm(183 in× 214 in) |
Location | Palace of Versailles, Versailles |
The Battle of Wagram (French: Bataille de Wagram, 6 Juillet 1809) is an 1836 history painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. [1] It depicts Napoleon at the Battle of Wagram fought in July 1809 during the War of the Fifth Coalition. The battle, part of the Napoleonic Wars, was a victory for the French over the Austrian forces under Archduke Charles. Napoleon is mounted, watching the battle progress through a spyglass while he holds a half-opened battle plan in the other. Behind him Jean-Baptiste Bessières had had his horse shot from under him. [2]
It commissioned during the July Monarchy by Louis Philippe I who as part of the restoration of the Palace of Versailles as a museum created the Galerie des Batailles filled with paintings of historic French victories. Vernet was commissioned to produce three of these works with depictions of Wagram, The Battle of Friedland and The Battle of Jena . [3] It was exhibited at the Salon of 1836. [4]
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais was a French nobleman, statesman, and military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Through the second marriage of his mother, Joséphine de Beauharnais, he was the stepson of Napoleon Bonaparte. Under the French Empire he also became Napoleon's adopted son. He was Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy under his stepfather, from 1805 to 1814, and commanded the Army of Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. Historians consider him one of Napoleon's most able relatives.
Émile Jean-Horace Vernet more commonly known as simply Horace Vernet, was a French painter of battles, portraits, and Orientalist subjects.
The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in Central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis I and Napoleon's French Empire. The French were supported by their client states—the Kingdom of Italy, the Confederation of the Rhine and the Duchy of Warsaw. Austria was supported by the Fifth Coalition which included the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, and the Kingdoms of Sardinia and Sicily, although the latter two took no part in the fighting. By the start of 1809 much of the French army was committed to the Peninsular War against Britain, Spain and Portugal. After France withdrew 108,000 soldiers from Germany, Austria attacked France to seek the recovery of territories lost in the 1803–1806 War of the Third Coalition. The Austrians hoped Prussia would support them, having recently been defeated by France, but Prussia chose to remain neutral.
Karl Philipp, Fürst zu Schwarzenberg was an Austrian Generalissimo and former Field Marshal. He first entered military service in 1788 and fought against the Turks. During the French Revolutionary War, he fought on the allied side against France and in that period rose through the ranks of the Imperial Army. During the Napoleonic Wars, he fought in the Battle of Wagram (1809), which the Austrians lost decisively against Napoleon. He had to fight for Napoleon in the Battle of Gorodechno (1812) against the Russians and won. During the War of the Sixth Coalition, he was in command of the allied army that decisively defeated Napoleon in the Battle of Leipzig (1813). He participated in the Battle of Paris (1814), which forced Napoleon to abdicate.
The Battle is a historical novel by French author Patrick Rambaud which was first published in 1997. The English translation by Will Hobson appeared in 2000. The book describes the 1809 Battle of Aspern-Essling between the French Empire under Napoleon and the Austrian Empire. The action in the novel follows closely historical observations and descriptions as seen from the French perspective. La Bataille is the first book of a trilogy by Rambaud about the decline of Napoleon, describing his first personal defeat in a European battle. The other two books cover Napoleon’s defeat in Russia in The Retreat and his banishment at Elba in Napoleon’s Exile.
The Battle of Hollabrunn was a rearguard action fought on 9 July 1809 by Austrian VI Korps of the Kaiserlich-königliche Hauptarmee under Johann von Klenau against elements of the French IV Corps of the Armée d'Allemagne, under the command of André Masséna.
Baron Charles-Joseph Christiani was a French Army Maréchal de camp who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
La Bataille d'Aboukir by Antoine-Jean Gros is an oil-on-canvas painting commissioned by Joachim Murat in 1805 and completed in 1806. The painting is piece of Napoleonic propaganda known for its attention to historical detail and emotional intensity. It was in the National Palace of Naples in 1808 and was bought for the Musée du Luxembourg in 1833. Since 1835, it has been in the collection of the Palace of Versailles. An original sketch, Murat Defeating the Turkish Army at Aboukir, was completed before the larger painting, and it is now on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The final work served as Gros's submission for the Salon of 1806.
The Barrière de Clichy. Defence of Paris, 30 March 1814 is an oil-on-canvas painting by Horace Vernet from 1820. It shows a battle against Russian cossacks at the barrière de Clichy, highlighting the soldiers present but not engaged in fighting. Vernet's participation in this battle marked his only experience in active combat, which influenced his choice of subject matter for the remainder of his career.
The Battle of Friedland is an 1835 history painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It depicts the Battle of Friedland fought on 14 June 1807 in East Prussia during the Napoleonic Wars. The battle was a decisive victory for French forces over their Russian enemies. At the subsequent Treaty of Tilsit, Napoleon was able to dictate peace terms to his beaten opponents. It is also sometimes known as Napoleon at the Battle of Friedland.
The Battle of Jemapes is an 1821 history painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It depicts the Battle of Jemmapes fought on 6 November 1792 near Jemappes in modern-day Belgium. Stylistically it is part of the developing romantic movement in art.
The Battle of Valmy is an 1826 history painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It depicts the Battle of Valmy, one of the earliest battles of the French Revolutionary Wars fought on 20 September 1792. The revolutionary French troops defeated an advance by a coalition of Foreign forces under the command of the Duke of Brunswick.
The Battle of Montmirail is an 1822 history painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It depicts the 1814 Battle of Montmirail during the Napoleonic Wars. It was one of four battle scenes Vernet painted on a commission by the Duke of Orleans, a cousin of Louis XVIII and himself a future monarch of France. Vernet received a total of thirty eight thousand francs for the four works. It depicts the Battle Montmirail, one of the final victories of the French emperor Napoleon. Fought on 11 February 1814 during the Six Days' Campaign, Napoleon's success there ultimately didn't prevent the fall of Paris and his abdication two months later.
The Battle of Fontenoy is an 1828 history painting by the French artist Horace Vernet.
The Battle of Aspern-Essling is an 1820 history painting by the German-Austrian artist Johann Peter Krafft. It portrays the Battle of Aspern-Essling fought on 21–22 May 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars. Fought just after Napoleon's forces had captured the Austrian capital Vienna, it was a significant defeat for the Grande Armée at the hands of the Austrian Army led by Archduke Charles. It is also known by the longer title Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, with his Staff at the Battle of Aspern-Essling.
The Battle of Bouvines is an 1827 history painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It depicts Philip II of France shortly before the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. A victory for Philip, the subsequent Truce of Chinon ended the Anglo-French War.
The Death of Prince Poniatowski is an 1816 history painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It depicts the death of the Polish general Józef Poniatowski at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813.
The Battle of Hanau is an 1824 history painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It depicts the Battle of Hanau fought at Hanau in Hesse in October 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars.
The Battle of Jena is an 1836 history painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It depicts the Battle of Jena fought on 14 October 1806. It portrays the French Emperor Napoleon on the field at Jena, one of his greatest victories during the Napoleonic Wars where he routed a Prussian force.
The Salon of 1836 was an art exhibition held at the Louvre in Paris. Since 1833 the Salon had been held annually, featuring paintings, sculptures and other works of art. It was followed by the Salon of 1837.