When Louis-Philippe founded the Musée Historique du Château de Versailles (The Historical Museum of the Versailles Chateau) in 1837, his express aim was to «consecrate the erstwhile residence of the Louis XIV to the glories of France». Thus built in a spirit of national reconciliation and going beyond the mere commemoration of historical events, the museum was first and foremost designed to be an emblem of France unified. And at the heart of the programme, stands the 'Galerie des Batailles' (The Battle Gallery), the perfect expression of this consciousness of the Nation. Not just a collection showing the victories of Clovis, Philippe-Auguste, Louis XIV and Napoléon, the 35 paintings on show in the gallery are victories which mark the constitution of a national identity.
The 'Galerie des Batailles' is the perfect example of what the 19th-century France understood as history painting. On hundred and nineteen metres long – matching the famous 'Galerie des Glaces' -, the battle gallery is a monumental résumé of the military history of the country, from Tolbiac in 496 to Wagram in 1809. The Napoleonic epic is celebrated in seven works: Rivoli by Philippoteaux, Zurich by Bouchot, Hohenlinden by Schopin, Austerlitz by Gérard, and Jena, Friedland and Wagram by Horace Vernet. Born in a family of famous painters, Horace Vernet had a brilliant career, which began at the Salon of 1812 during the First Empire, finishing gloriously during the Second. A fervent admirer of Napoleon (the emperor made him Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in return for his bravery in the defence of Paris in 1814), Vernet was also the favorite painter of Louis-Philippe, who commissioned Vernet to paint many works for Musée Historique de Versailles.
Vernet's 'Bataille d'Iena', (Battle of Jena), so often reproduced in history books, is one of his most popular paintings. No direct representation of the battle (manoeuvres, combat, wounded or killed), simply the picture a leader in action. The anecdote comes from the 5th Bulletin of the Grande Armée. A young grenadier, impatient to attack cries 'forward!' as the Emperor passes and provokes the angry riposte from the Emperor, “…let him wait until he has commanded thirty battles before he presumes to give me his advice”. The composition is very straightforward. The verticality of the groups of soldiers stands in opposition to the circular form of the equestrian group formed by the Emperor, Murat and Berthier. Napoleon's angry turn places his head in the very centre of the picture. The lowering grey sky dominating the scene picks up the colour of the famous great coat, so austere in comparison to the glorious uniform worn by Murat.
Karine Huguenaud (tr. P.H.)
March 2003
The Battle of Jena, 14 October 1806
Artist(s) : VERNET Horace
- Date :
- 1836
- Technique :
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions :
- H = 4.65 m, L = 5.43 m
- Place held :
- Versailles, Musée National du Château et des Trianons