Napoleon visiting the plague victims of Jaffa according to the painting by Antoine-Jean Gros, 1804 located in the Louvre Museum.
surprising polychrome terracotta from the first half of the 19th century, representing Napoleon and recounting a famous episode of the Egyptian campaign.
This is a very beautiful historiated scene like a diorama, indeed this important terracotta sculpture is inside a walnut box and is protected by a sliding window.
Please note this is a unique work and not an edition terracotta.
trace of signature on one of the pillars, at the bottom right. the set is very very heavy.
There is great depth in this terracotta with several character planes and a real architectural setting.
the scene is astonishing, Napoleon, commander of the armies, stares at us on the right, at his side a dragon and another soldier come to the aid of the plague-stricken of Jaffa.
thus the story says that Napoleon would have carried one of the corpses of which a bubo was spread on the clothes.
the scene on two planes in high relief realistically describes the men, women and children who are seated in a setting of ruins, emaciated, sick, trying to survive, a woman is asleep on the ground, her head resting on her father's knees, her tearful husband by her side.
misfortune is palpable!
This scene is truly astonishing and despite their size, the artist was able to render the intensity of Gros' painting on the faces of the characters and in their attitude.
a true historical document, a terracotta work faithful to the famous painting by Gros.
check it out on Google or Wikipedia!
some tiny restorations on the polychromy.
the previous owner remembers a graffiti or a trace of a signature on the right column, but today barely visible.
A miniatura in terracotta in three dimensions !!!
dimensions:
25 cm long for the terracotta and 32 cm with the walnut box.
18 cm high for the terracotta and 26 cm with the walnut box.
depth 9cm.
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