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The Coronation of Napoleon

Jacques-Louis David · 1807

Jacques-Louis David's huge official painting of Napoleon's 1804 self-coronation at Notre-Dame, showing him crowning himself with the Pope looking on.

The painting depicts Napoleon's self-coronation as Emperor, the central staged moment of his rule.

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Large historical painting of a grand cathedral interior with a crowd of richly dressed figures. A man in white and gold robes raises a crown above a kneeling woman in a white gown with a long red-and-ermine train. A seated woman watches from a balcony, and a pope-like figure in white sits nearby. Columns, draped blue curtains, and a gilded throne canopy frame the scene.
Jacques-Louis David, The Coronation of Napoleon, 1807. Louvre, Paris.

About this source

What it is

This enormous oil painting was made by Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon's official painter, finished in 1807. It shows the 1804 coronation ceremony at Notre-Dame de Paris and now hangs in the Louvre.

Why it matters

Napoleon commissioned the painting himself and it shows exactly how he wanted to be remembered: crowning his wife Joséphine rather than being crowned by Pope Pius VII, who is shown present but passive. The painting is packed with real figures from Napoleon's court, including his mother, brothers, and officials, carefully arranged to show loyalty and legitimacy — even though some, like his mother, were not actually there.

Look closer

  • Why would Napoleon want to be shown crowning himself rather than being crowned by the Pope?
  • What does it mean that David changed who attended the ceremony to suit the image Napoleon wanted?
  • What does the painting leave out about the real event?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Napoleon Bonaparte on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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