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Pierre Paul Prud'hon

The Triumph of Bonaparte

1801
Black chalk with stumping, heightened with touches of white chalk, on blue laid paper, laid down on ivory Japanese paper
35 × 63 cm (13.8 × 24.8 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

The Triumph of Bonaparte celebrates the French defeat of Austria and the signing of the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801. Napoleon, as first consul of the Republic, stands in a chariot flanked by Victory and Peace. The Muses precede the chariot, while the Arts—painting, sculpture, and architecture—follow behind. A work of unbridled propaganda, the drawing is also a call for Napoleon to support the arts. Prud’hon’s idiosyncratic style blends a frieze-like arrangement of figures and overt references to ancient Rome (hallmarks of the period’s classicizing tendencies) with a soft sensuality inspired by Leonardo da Vinci and other Italian Renaissance masters.

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