Cleveland Museum of Art

Portrait of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French

William Essex

Date

1841

Medium

enamel on copper, gilt metal and plush mount in a turned wood frame

Culture

England, 19th century

Department

Modern European Painting and Sculpture

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Unlike fragile portrait miniatures painted in watercolor on vellum or ivory, which are prone to cracking, fading, and flaking, enamels are resilient, impervious to the effects of light, and retain their striking original colors over time. Partly for this reason enamel was considered ideal for reproducing famous paintings and treasured portraits in a reduced and luminous form. The complicated and labor-intensive process of enameling required the artist to fire numerous layers of colored metal oxide at different temperatures. This process made it difficult to produce a faithful portrait likeness, though masters of the medium were able create portraits of remarkable subtlety imbued with the sitter's personality. The desire for portraits of Napoleon Bonaparte helped to create a market for miniatures that William Essex was fueling long after the emperor's death. Napoleon wears the green uniform of the chasseurs á cheval , including a green coat with a red collar over a white waistcoat and gold epaulets indicating his status as a general.

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