In 1804, Napoleon commissioned a series of portraits on the occasion of his coronation on 2 December. This picture here (one of that series), a standing portrait of one of Napoleon’s closest colleagues, Géraud-Christophe-Michel Duroc, his real name being Géraud-Christophe Michel du Roc de Brion, was painted by Jean-Antoine Gros.
Gros was a friend of Duroc’s: the painter added him, for example, in his 1810 work entitled Bataille des Pyramides, alongside the principal staff officers, despite the fact that only these officers were to be included in the original project. In the portrait here Gros presents Duroc in the robes the latter wore to Napoleon’s coronation, the Legion d’Honneur clearly visible (Duroc was in fact promoted to the rank of Grand-Croix in the legion on the 2 February 1805, two months after the coronation). As a backdrop, Gros added the iconic Colonne Vendôme, despite the fact that construction had not yet begun when the painting was being produced.
The detail shown here (Duroc in glorious apparel at Napoleon’s coronation) was an echo of Duroc’s career. After brilliantly distinguishing himself under the arms during the Revolution, he became one of Bonaparte’s ADCs in 1796, before being promoted to Général de Brigade on the 13 October, 1801. Gouverneur militaire of the Tuileries Palace in 1802, finally he became the Grand Maréchal du Palais on the very same day that the Sénatus-Consulte created the Empire, 18 May, 1804.
Moreover, Duroc was a cunning politician and one of the First Consul’s (and later Emperor’s) most trusted aides. His diplomatic career included missions to Berlin and Saint Petersburg. And as Grand Maréchal du Palais much was expected of him; in fact of all the roles in the Empire, his bore the greatest weight of responsibility and sheer hard slog. His duties included the protection of the Emperor himself and his close entourage, and the daily organisation of the Imperial palace as well as the organisation of the great ceremonies that marked the beginning of the reign of Napoleon 1st, such as the coronation. When the archbishop went on too long at the coronation, it was Duroc who gave him a sign to ‘wind it up’… In fact his position made him one of the most powerful men at the imperial court.
In this painting, Gros used the pomp and grandeur of the coronation to give a reflection of Duroc in all the glory of his military and political position.
This painting exists in two versions. That reproduced version here was commissioned by Napoleon for the collection at the Chateau de Versailles. Gros’s second version, executed shortly afterwards, was painted for Duroc family. It is on show at the Musée des Beaux-arts in Nancy. Since it was too fragile to be transferred, a reproduction of it was on show at the exposition Duroc, l’ami de Napoléon (in French) in the municipal museum Au fil du papier in Pont-à-Mousson from 14 September until 15 December 2013.
Sources:
– Duroc (1772-1813), Jean de la Tour, Nouveau monde Éditions, 2004 (in French)
– Antoine-Jean Gros, peintre de Napoléon, David O’Brien, Gallimard, 2006 (in French)