Artwork
Le Général Buonaparte (Napoleon as General of the Italian Army)
Le Général Buonaparte (Napoleon as General of the Italian Army) is a paint print by the Romanticist artist Pierre-Michel Alix. It dates from 1798 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
You see a portrait of a young Napoleon in a red military coat. His right hand rests on his hip. The background fades to a light wash.
This was painted in 1798, when Napoleon wasn’t yet emperor. It shows him as a rising star, not the later ruler known for power.
Check out the brushwork at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Overview
Pierre-Michel Alix, a French engraver who studied with Jacques‑Philippe Le Bas, produced a color‑wash print titled *Le Général Buonaparte* in 1798. The image presents a youthful Napoleon in a red military coat, his right hand placed on his hip, against a softly faded background. The work captures the general before his later coronation as emperor.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait emphasizes Napoleon’s role as commander of the Italian Army, portraying him as a rising military figure rather than the later sovereign. The confident stance and uniform highlight his emerging authority and the strategic importance of the Italian campaign in his early career.
Technique & Style
Executed in the color wash manner, Alix combined line engraving with delicate washes of pigment, allowing the figure to emerge from a light, atmospheric background. The restrained brushwork and subtle tonal gradations create a sense of immediacy while preserving the precision typical of late‑eighteenth‑century printmaking.
History & Provenance
The print is part of the collections of the Louvre’s Cabinet des estampes and France’s Bibliothèque nationale. Its inclusion in these institutions reflects its value as a contemporary visual record of a key figure in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods.
Context
Created during the height of the French Revolutionary Wars, the image coincides with Napoleon’s successful Italian campaign of 1796‑1797. At the time of its production, he held the rank of general, and the portrait serves as a visual affirmation of his military reputation prior to his eventual ascent to imperial power.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre-Michel Alix (1762 – 27 December 1817) was a French engraver. He studied under Jacques-Philippe Le Bas and was best known for his portraits of notable figures during the French Revolution and First French Empire.…
