Found a long lost rare portrait of Napoleon in 1813

NEW YORK. The portrait of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, which for two centuries was considered hopelessly lost, suddenly appeared in New York, being bought, for less than one hundredth of its true value.

The portrait, painted by Jacques-Louis David in 1813, when England and Prussia threatened to invade France, depicts Napoleon I, who committed himself to protect the country from invasion. The emperor is dressed in a national militia uniform to emphasize his determination to save France. Out of habit, Napoleon laid his right hand over the edge of the vest.

Portrait of Napoleon in 1813 before and after restoration.
AFP PHOTO / HO / COLLINS FINE ART, LTD, NEW YORK / RICHARD COLLINS.

A private collector who now owns the painting considered it a copy. He acquired it in 2005 in New York, for a fairly modest amount of $ 24,000. Later, the collector turned to French art critic Simon Lee from the University of Reading, west of London, to help verify the portrait’s authenticity. Lee compared the canvas with copies and other paintings of David.

“Although the work was signed with the original signature of David, the purification showed the inscription“ Rouge ”and the date 1813,” says the art historian, happy with his discovery. Georges Rouget was David’s chief assistant for almost 10 years, and participated in direct painting on canvas. "Some collectors or museums would be confused by the presence of two names on the canvas, but in fact, this is often proof of the authenticity of David’s work."

The portrait was kept in the family castle of the Bortwick-Norton family, located in the vicinity of Edinburgh, and was donated by family members of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1988.

But, as representatives of the academy said: "Our policy in compiling collections is such that we prefer to store only Scottish art, and do not collect the work of European artists." Therefore, the picture was presented for evaluation to several auction houses and experts who assigned it the status of “Copy”.

Now, the Academy realized that it had missed a small fortune. The painting is believed to cost more than 3.2 million dollars.

David was one of the greatest artists in Europe, from 1780 until his death in 1825. “I am very glad that I discovered this beautiful picture, which offers a unique opportunity to appreciate what role art can play in wartime,” said Lee. The portrait was created by David to raise morale and foster patriotism of the French people. However, at one time, he was never presented to the masses, due to the invasion of the allied forces.

Original article: artdaily.com
Translation: Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru