Attributed to Jacques-Louis David Attributed to Jacques-Louis David

Collection Favre de Thierrens;

Anonymous sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 18 June 1990, lot 64;

Anonymous sale, Christie's, New York, 27 January 2016, lot 95.

Because of its free execution, some pentimenti in the Emperor’s leg and a few variations, this drawing was once thought to be a rapid study by David for the painting produced in 1812 (National Gallery of Art, Washington), of which an almost identical autograph replica exists, owned by the French national museums. This has now been rejected by specialists because of the lack of confidence in the line and the awkward rendering of some details. In comparison, David’s preparatory drawing, in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Besançon, is of much higher quality with a firm and assured treatment.

It is nevertheless interesting to note that our drawing is not a faithful copy after the paintings. It differs from them in some details, such as the tall column visible on the left and the absence of a candlestick on the desk. Strangely, these two differences also appear in the Besançon drawing. On the other hand, the clock in the background of the Besançon drawing differs from the one in the present work and from the paintings. Could there be another preparatory work, whose location is presently unknown?