Portrait of Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814)

Riesener employed oil paint to achieve a high level of detail, evident in the intricate patterns of Joséphine's dress, jewelry, and the textured backdrop of a red curtain against a dark background, reflecting a blend of neoclassical formality and emerging romantic attention to texture.

Painted during Napoleon's reign, the portrait is the work of Henri-François Riesener, son of a renowned cabinet-maker and father of the Romantic painter Léon Riesener. It has remained part of the Château de Malmaison collection.

Commissioned in 1806, the portrait captures Joséphine at the height of Napoleon's power, reflecting the imperial family's desire for dignified, formally rendered representations. The choice of Riesener, not yet at the peak of his career, may indicate the artist's rising prominence within court circles.

While not as widely recognized as works by leading artists of the Napoleonic era, Riesener's *Portrait of Joséphine* provides a nuanced glimpse into the artistic preferences of the imperial family and the transitional stylistic currents of the time.