Jean-Baptiste-Edouard Detaille

With Boussod, Valedon & Cie, Paris;
Hulda B. Rothschild, Chicago, Illinois;
By whose Estate sold, New York, Sotheby Parke-Bernet, 11 February 1981, lot 38.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work seems to be in perfect condition. The canvas is unlined. The painting may have never been displayed unglazed, and therefore it may have never acquired a dirt layer. While the work theoretically does not require glass in the frame, it is certainly protecting the picture; the work can be hung in its current condition.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Detaille, a student of Ernest Meissonier (1815-1891), was one of the great French military painters of the Belle Époque.  Serving as a soldier himself in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, he had firsthand experience of the battlefield and was known for his precision and attention to detail in his re-creations of military events.

Detaille painted and drew numerous compositions depicting Napoleon which were in much demand from the artist, especially in the years 1900-10.  Rather than depicting a specific event or campaign, this painting evokes the grandeur of the Emperor as he sits confidently on horseback with officers and troops behind.  He wears the same uniform as in Detaille’s painting Le Soir d’Iéna, 1806 (painted in 1894, Musée d l’Armée, Paris).  Given the small size of the present work and lack of a date, it was probably painted at the request of a collector, with the artist using elements from previous compositions.

We are grateful to François Robichon, Président des Amis d'Edouard Detaille, for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.