Antoine-Jean Gros, dit Baron Gros Antoine-Jean Gros, dit Baron Gros

Possibly, Collection of Monsieur Bizet;

Possibly his sale, M^e Lacoste and Henry, Paris, 21-22 May 1828, lot 10 (titled Esquisse du grand-duc de Berg, qui a servi pour le tableau d'Eylau);

Possibly sale Gros, no. 7 (titled Murat dans le costume du Nord, il est représenté sur un cheval au temps de galop, esquisse, acquis par Nitoz (?) 506F);

Possibly collection of Princes Golitzyn (or Galitzine), as per the stamps to the left and right;

Anonymous sale, Libert, Paris, 1 December 2010, lot 33 (as French School, 19^th Century, Circle of Baron Gros);

With Hubert Duchemin, Paris;

Where acquired by the present owner, in 2011.

Possibly J. Tripier Le Franc, Histoire de la vie et de la mort du baron Gros, Paris 1880, p. 674 (titled Esquisse peinte du portrait équestre de Joachim Murat placé dans la bataille d’Eylau);

P.-J. Chalençon, Napoléon. La collection, Paris 2019, p. 106.

This work depicts Joachim Murat, his sabre held aloft, appearing to give his soldiers the signal to charge. The battle can be seen blazing in the background. Already showing the inspiration of Romanticism, with the sky’s dark tones contrasting with the white snow, this canvas is notable for its pictorial quality and is painted with an energy, spontaneity and freedom which herald Gericault’s studies for An Officer of the Imperial Horse Guards Charging (1812).

This sketch is traditionally thought to be a preparatory work for the figure of Murat in the monumental painting Napoleon on the Battlefield of Eylau, now in the Musée du Louvre. The commission was awarded to Baron Gros in 1807 after he won a competition. The Director of the Musée Napoléon, Vivant-Denon, specified a precise iconographic programme: the composition had to feature the Emperor surveying the battlefield, victorious and majestic but showing compassion for the suffering of the wounded and the fate of the many dead lying in the foreground. The marshals cluster around Napoleon, respectful and admiring. A preparatory drawing, earlier than the sketch submitted to the competition judges, shows the basic lines of the composition and Murat’s pose already established (private collection).

Despite obvious similarities in the pose and the uniform, it is not certain that the present sketch is a direct study for Napoleon on the Battlefield of Eylau; it may have had a very different purpose. It seems rather to suggest a preparatory work for an equestrian portrait glorifying the military hero. Is it possible that Murat asked Gros to paint a portrait showing him charging on the battlefield, perhaps even at Eylau? The painter could have reprised the marshal’s pose in Napoleon on the Battlefield of Eylau for this project, which was never brought to fruition. Another possibility is that Gros took inspiration from the Louvre painting for a portrait that was subsequently commissioned from him.

There are references to one or more preparatory sketches for Murat at Eylau. They are listed in the provenance below, with the caveat that none of the descriptions can be confirmed as relating to the present painting.

Murat met Gros in 1796 during the Italian Campaign. He commissioned several paintings from him, including, in 1806, The Battle of Abukir, 25 July 1799, a monumental masterpiece now in the Musée National du Château de Versailles. In 1812, Gros produced a majestic portrait of Murat in all his pomp as King of Naples (Musée du Louvre). Also in 1812, there is a study alluding to Murat’s role in the capture of Capri from the English in 1808 (Fondation Dosne Thiers, Paris), left incomplete because of his fall from grace.

Joachim Murat (1767–1815) had an extraordinary life. Born the son of an innkeeper, he enrolled in the army in 1787 and distinguished himself in most of the great battles of the Consulat and the Empire, playing a key role in Abukir, Austerlitz, Jena and Eylau, to name just a few. His exceptional courage in combat, which earned this accomplished cavalryman the nickname ‘Bravest of the Brave’, opened the way to positions at the highest level: Maréchal d’Empire in 1804, Prince of France, Grand-duc de Berg et de Clèves in 1805, then King of Naples in 1808. In 1800, he had become brother-in-law to Napoleon (who did not care for him, despite admiring his bravery), his charm and panache having proved irresistible to Napoleon’s sister, Caroline.

Murat’s end was tragic. After the terrible Russian Campaign, where he again demonstrated his bravery in the Battle of Borodino, Murat returned to Naples where, thinking only to save his kingdom, he signed a peace treaty with the Austrians, thus betraying Napoleon. But the wind had changed: the Bourbons regained Naples and had the deposed king shot, despite this betrayal, on 13 October 1815.