Artwork
Etienne-Joseph-Jacques-Alexandre MacDonald, Duke of Taranto, Marshal of France (1765-1840)
Etienne-Joseph-Jacques-Alexandre MacDonald, Duke of Taranto, Marshal of France (1765-1840) is an oil painting by Jean Sébastien Rouillard. It dates from 1837 and is held in the collection of the Palace of Versailles.
About this work
Overview
The figure stands before a deep red curtain, his black coat edged with gold embroidery and a crimson sash, while a sword is held aloft in his right hand.
Jean‑Sébastien Rouillard’s 1837 oil portrait presents Étienne‑Jacques‑Joseph‑Alexandre Macdonald, Duke of Taranto and Marshal of France, in full military regalia. The figure stands before a deep red curtain, his black coat edged with gold embroidery and a crimson sash, while a sword is held aloft in his right hand. A distant landscape of buildings and trees fills the background, lending a formal yet expansive ambience.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, Marshal Macdonald (1765‑1840), was a senior commander of the Napoleonic armies and later a peer of the French Empire. His dignified pose, the conspicuous uniform, and the sword underscore his martial authority, while the theatrical curtain and serene vista suggest both his public stature and personal legacy within the French military tradition.
Technique & Style
Rouillard, a pupil of Jacques‑Louis David, employs a restrained academic palette, balancing the dark tones of the coat with the luminous gold trim and the vivid red of the sash. The brushwork is smooth and precise, especially in the rendering of metallic surfaces and fabric folds, while the background landscape is suggested with softer, atmospheric strokes that recede behind the figure.
History & Provenance
Commissioned as an official likeness, the portrait entered the collection of the Palace of Versailles, where it now resides among other works documenting France’s military history. Rouillard, recognized for numerous state commissions, received the Légion d’honneur for his contributions to French art, and his works for the Musée de l’Histoire de France remain central to the Versailles assemblage.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Sébastien Rouillard (1789 in Paris – 1852) was a French portrait painter. A student of Jacques-Louis David, he exhibited at the Salon from 1817 onwards and gained many official commissions, notably for the musée de…
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Louis-Philippe I, King of the French (1773–1850)
