Description:

Nicola Marschall (Prussian/Alabama, 1829-1917), "Napoleon I (1769-1821)", 1869, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower left, 30 in. x 25 in., framed. Note: Nicola Marschall immigrated from Germany to the United States in 1849, arriving first in New Orleans before settling in Marion, Alabama. Throughout the antebellum period, Marschall gained reputation as a premier portraitist, and he painted such notable figures as Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Otto von Bismarck. The portrait of Napoleon presented here was created in 1869, forty-eight years after the emperor’s death. Although Napoleon had died almost a half a century earlier in exile on the island of St. Helena, he was still a subject of fascination, especially since his nephew, Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, became first President and then Emperor Napoleon III of France. The figure depicted here, which Marschall so delicately portrays, is based on a painting from 1838 by Paul Delaroche titled Napoleon I in his Study, which includes a red and gold background, desk, and chair. Marschall’s decision to exclude the background in his work allows the viewer to focus more clearly on the imposing figure of the sitter without distraction, calling attention to his pensive gaze.

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April 13, 2019 10:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US

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