Napoleon on Horseback
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Object Label
This sculpture shows Napoleon on horseback, dressed in his military uniform and signature bicorne (two-cornered) hat. The use of the equestrian format here echoes a visual tradition for portraying rulers dating back to antiquity. Rather than creating a grandiose imperial image, however, Barye portrays Napoleon in his guise as citizen-soldier.
Barye, best known for his animal sculptures, was born at the height of the French Revolution and served in the French Army toward the end of the Napoleonic era. He received two government commissions for posthumous equestrian monuments of the emperor that he made in the 1860s during the rule of Napoleon's nephew, Napoleon III, who sought to revive his uncle's imperial image and legacy.
Caption
Antoine-Louis Barye French, 1795–1875. Napoleon on Horseback. Bronze, 18 x 13 3/4 x 5 1/4 in. (45.7 x 34.9 x 13.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by Special Subscription, 10.199. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 10.199_PS11.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Napoleon on Horseback
Geography
Place made: France
Medium
Bronze
Classification
Dimensions
18 x 13 3/4 x 5 1/4 in. (45.7 x 34.9 x 13.3 cm)
Credit Line
Purchased by Special Subscription
Accession Number
10.199
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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