Egyptian Family (Sketch for "The Battle of the Pyramids")

The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Egyptian Family (Sketch for "The Battle of the Pyramids") as painting (France, 19th century · c. 1835).

WHY IT’S INTERESTING

In 1810, Gros exhibited a massive painting of Napoleon at the 1798 Battle of the Pyramids, one of the rare French triumphs in the failed campaign to conquer Egypt (1789-1801). After Napoleon first fell from power in 1814, the painting went into storage, until the new king Louis-Philippe chose to resurrect it for a hist

SERENDIPITYA little unexpected

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A CLOSER LOOK

The museum identifies this painting as oil on linen and credits Antoine-Jean Gros (French, 1771–1835).

The museum's collection notes: In 1810, Gros exhibited a massive painting of Napoleon at the 1798 Battle of the Pyramids, one of the rare French triumphs in the failed campaign to conquer Egypt (1789-1801). After Napoleon first fell from power in 1814, the painting went into storage, until the new king Louis-Philippe chose to resurrect it for a history museum in Paris. However, perhaps to diminish Napoleon's significance, the government asked Gros to amplify the original with an addition at each end. This painting incorporates General Kléber, a famously successful military leader who had been excluded from the original painting.

FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE

The Cleveland Museum of ArtEgyptian Family (Sketch for "The Battle of the Pyramids")

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