1795, he worked hard to resurrect his career. When Napoleon Bona-
parte approached David in 1804 and offered him the position of First
Painter of the Empire, David seized the opportunity. It was not just
the artist’s personal skill but Neoclassicism in general that appealed
to Napoleon. The emperor embraced all links with the classical past
as symbolic sources of authority. Classical associations, particularly
connections to the Roman Empire, served Napoleon well, since he as-
pired to rule an empire that might one day rival ancient Rome’s.CORONATION OF NAPOLEON One of the major paint-
ings David produced for Napoleon was Coronation of Napoleon (FIG.
30-2), a monumental painting (20 by 32 feet) that documented the
pomp and pageantry of the new emperor’s coronation in December- Napoleon was well aware of the power of art for constructing a
public image and of David’s ability to produce inspiring patriotic
images. To a large extent, David adhered to historical fact regarding
the coronation, duly recording the appearance of the interior of Paris’s
Notre-Dame Cathedral as Napoleon’s architects, Charles Percier
(1764–1838) and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine (1762–1853), had
decorated it for the occasion. David also faithfully portrayed those in
attendance. In addition to Napoleon, his wife Josephine (1763–1814;
kneeling to receive her crown), and Pope Pius VII (r. 1800–1823;
seated behind Napoleon), others present at the occasion and in the
painting included Joseph (1768–1814) and Louis (1778–1846) Bona-
parte, Napoleon’s ministers, the retinues of the emperor and empress,
and a representative group of the clergy, as well as David himself,
seated among the rows of spectators in the balconies. Despite the
artist’s apparent fidelity to historical fact, preliminary studies and
drawings reveal that David made changes at Napoleon’s request. For
example, Napoleon insisted that the painter depict the pope with his
hand raised in blessing. Further, Napoleon’s mother appears promi-
nently in the center background, yet she had refused to attend the
coronation.
Although David had to incorporate numerous figures and lav-
ish pageantry in his painting, he retained the structured composi-
tion central to the Neoclassical style. As in his Oath of the Horatii
(FIG. 29-23), David presented the action as if on a theater stage—
which in this instance was literally the case, even if the stage Percier
and Fontaine constructed was inside a church. In addition, as he did
in his arrangement of the men and women in Oath of the Horatii,
David conceptually divided the painting to reveal polarities. The
pope, prelates, and priests representing the Catholic Church appear
on the right, contrasting with members of Napoleon’s imperial court
on the left. The relationship between church and state was one of
this period’s most contentious issues. Napoleon’s decision to crown
himself, rather than to allow the pope to perform the coronation, as
was traditional, reflected Napoleon’s concern about the power rela-
tionship between church and state. For the painting commemorat-
ing the occasion, the emperor insisted that David depict the moment
when, having already crowned himself, Napoleon places a crown on
his wife’s head, further underscoring his authority. Thus, although
this painting represents an important visual document in the tradi-
tion of history painting, it is also a more complex statement about
the changing politics in Napoleonic France.Art under Napoleon 77930-2Jacques-Louis David,Coronation of Napoleon,1805–1808. Oil on canvas, 20 41 – 2 32 13 – 4 . Louvre, Paris.
As First Painter of the Empire, David recorded Napoleon at his December 1804 coronation crowning his wife with the pope as witness, thus under-
scoring the authority of the state over the church.1 ft.30-2ADAVID,
Napoleon
Crossing
Saint-Bernard,
1800–1801.
30-2BINGRES,
Napoleon on
His Throne,
1806.