Famous work · not an exact-location map point
Bonaparte, First Consul
Napoleon as First Consul pointing to a decree for rebuilding Liège — with a window view of the city, whose cathedral had just been demolished.
No single real-world viewpoint
A state portrait; the glimpse of Liège through the window shows St Lambert's Cathedral, demolished from 1794 — a nominal, no-longer-extant backdrop.
Bonaparte, First Consul — at a glance
- Artist
- Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867)
- Year
- 1804
- Movement
- Neoclassicism
- Place
- A window view of Liège, on the river Meuse, Belgium
- Viewpoint
- A state portrait with a real view of Liège — the river and city survive; the demolished Saint-Lambert cathedral does not
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- c. 227 × 147 cm
- Now at
- Musée des Beaux-Arts de Liège (La Boverie)
Overview
Bonaparte, First Consul is a full-length state portrait by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, painted in 1804 when he was still in David's studio. Napoleon, as First Consul in a red-and-gold coat, stands by a draped table and an open window, one hand on a document, the other gesturing towards it. It is oil on canvas, about 227 by 147 cm, and it hangs in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Liège (La Boverie), Belgium.
Where was Bonaparte, First Consul painted?
Scholarship The portrait was commissioned by the city of Liège to thank Napoleon for a decree granting funds to repair the damage the city suffered in the Revolutionary Wars of 1794. Through the window behind him is a view of Liège on the river Meuse — bridges, quays, church towers, the hills beyond. One thing the view cannot show is the great collegiate cathedral of Saint-Lambert, which had dominated Liège for centuries: it was demolished by the revolutionary authorities from 1794, and its site is now the Place Saint-Lambert. The river, the setting and much of the city survive and can be recognised; the vanished cathedral cannot.
What is in the painting?
Napoleon stands three-quarters on, in a heavily embroidered red velvet consular coat, white breeches, sword. His right hand rests on a paper on the table — the decree for Liège — and his left points to it. Beside him, a gilt chair, a rich tablecloth. The open window frames the panorama of Liège on the Meuse under a pale sky. The finish is smooth and the detail crisp.
Look closely
The pointing gesture
Napoleon's left hand points to the decree on the table — the reconstruction grant for Liège.
The window view
The panorama of Liège on the Meuse — bridges, quays, church towers, hills.
The consular coat
A heavily embroidered red velvet coat of the Consulate, before the imperial robes.
Analysis
Composition and technique
A frontal state figure by a window, the pointing gesture linking the ruler to the decree and to the city beyond.
Scholarship Ingres uses the standard formula of the standing state portrait but ties it to the commission: the gesture connects Napoleon, the document and the actual view of the grateful city, so the painting is an argument as much as a likeness. The tight, enamel-smooth handling is characteristic of the young Ingres.
History & provenance
The portrait has belonged to the city of Liège since it was commissioned and is in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Liège (La Boverie).
Sources
- Musée des Beaux-Arts de Liège (La Boverie) — collection entry for J.-A.-D. Ingres, ‘Bonaparte, First Consul’ (1804)
- Ville de Liège — the demolition of the Cathédrale Saint-Lambert (from 1794) and the Place Saint-Lambert
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