FRANÇOIS DE LANSAC (1803-1890) Napoleon at... - Lot 60 - Osenat

FRANÇOIS DE LANSAC (1803-1890) Napoleon at Arcis-sur-Aube Oil on canvas signed and dated "1841" on the lower left. Dimensions: 106 x 79 cm With frame: 121 x 93 cm Wooden frame and gilded stucco The scene represented is the battle of Arcis-sur-Aube (March 1814), we can see in the center the Emperor Napoleon I riding his horse before it was killed by an enemy cannonball. Accompanied by his staff, visible on the left, the Emperor reviews his old guard. Provenance: - Paris, Salon of 1836, n° 1114 - Sale Tajan, n° 16-12-1996 n° 176 Related works: - Paris, Galerie de Souzy, Napoleon at Arcis-sur-Aube by the painter François de Lansac. - Hôtel des ventes de Lille November 28, 2010, Beaucé Jean-Adolphe, the battle of Arcis-sur-Aube. Historical context: After the German campaign, Napoleon was forced to cross the Rhine again, and to do so, he mobilized his troops. The coalition armies flocked to France from all sides: the French army was dispersed in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. On March 20, 1814, after having recalled Marshals Oudinot and Macdonald, Napoleon headed towards Arcis-sur-Aube, where he saw shells explode in front of battalions of young recruits who were retreating. He rushed to the front of the battalions and when a shell fell at the foot of his horse, he did not move. The shell explodes, the horse is disemboweled, but Napoleon gets up. The soldiers cheered him, went to the attack and took Torcy.