The Coronation of Napoleon I, 627 x 979 cm, painted 1805-1807, is held in the Louvre. Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) was a master of Neoclassicism spanning the 18th and 19th centuries. He sympathized with the French Revolution, served as a member of the National Convention during it, and always favored consensus governance. For example, his famous work Marat Assassinated in His Bathtub (painted 1793) is a masterpiece of social and political engagement. Later, David became the official painter for the French Empire, and this Coronation of Napoleon I is a clear example.

This painting, arguably the most grand, spectacular, and sacred coronation image in French history, depicts the coronation ceremony of Napoleon I held at Notre-Dame de Paris on December 2, 1804. David used his most objective method (like live historical reporting) to portray the event. It is a monumental historical work; we see the artist carefully attending to every detail, injecting vitality and highly refined color, making the over 150 participants vividly lifelike, solemn, and dignified. The horizontal composition is very balanced. In the harmonious and solemn ceremony, Napoleon, dressed like a Roman emperor and holding the crown aloft, is the core. His wife Josephine, dressed like an empress, kneels devoutly before him with hands clasped to receive the coronation. Her magnificent crimson robe is reverently lifted from behind by two noblewomen. Behind Napoleon sits Pope Pius VII, who traveled far from the Vatican to attend the ceremony. He sits on his throne, raising his holy right hand to bless the coronation. (However, in the initial sketch, the emperor proudly holds a sword in his left hand and the crown in his right, crowning himself, while the Pope sits behind with hands on his lap, appearing idle, which caused public opposition. This sketch is currently held in the Drawing Exhibition Room.) Here, some dignity is left for the Pope, but Napoleon still proudly holds the crown aloft, unsure whether he intends to crown the kneeling empress or himself?

To the left of this grand coronation, we see all of Napoleon’s siblings attending. Among them are Josephine’s children, and beside them are imperial generals and bishops. Napoleon’s mother sits in the front viewing box (in reality, she refused to attend this coronation, but David included her here to show that the whole family participated in this solemn ritual). There are also delegations from countries around the world. The composition of this work draws inspiration from Rubens’ The Coronation of Marie de' Medici (one could compare them further). Notably, every figure in the painting is historically real. Moreover, David renders the material textures of the objects so vividly. Look at these gorgeous costumes, carpets, wall decorations, crowns, etc., which appear real, their softness, smoothness, and shimmer all so captivating.