Pupil of painter Robert LEFEVRE. 1755-1830. Bust portrait of Napoleon in coronation costume. Circa 1806. Oil on canvas, gilded wood frame. 65 x 54 cm Bust portrait of Emperor Napoleon in coronation regalia, wearing his red cloak with golden bees and the large collar of the Legion of Honor on his ermine. This is probably a study of the modelo used in Robert Lefèvre's workshop to produce the numerous replicas commissioned by the French government. A former pupil of the painter Regnault, Robert Lefèvre had won renown as a portraitist through the Salons, where he exhibited from 1791. At the time, he was particularly appreciated by his contemporaries for the resemblance he gave to his models and the precision of the details and decorations in his works. Thanks to the protection of Denon, then director of the Beaux-Arts and the Musée du Louvre, Robert Lefèvre became one of the main suppliers to the Emperor's household, executing over forty large-scale portraits of the Emperor in full coronation regalia or uniform, as well as of the Empress; these commissions were destined for the Grand Corps de l'Etat and imperial palaces in France and abroad. The painter also supplied the Grand Chamberlain's gift department with numerous miniatures of the Emperor, to decorate snuffboxes and watches given as diplomatic gifts. The uneven quality of some replicas could be criticized, notably for the somewhat frozen appearance of the model, a fault that can be explained by the enormous output of the painter's studio; but it should be noted that all official portraits were intended by the painter himself. Nevertheless, Robert Lefèvre remained highly appreciated by the Emperor, who was said to have noticed the resemblance of these portraits, and no doubt also the absence of tedious breaks. On the strength of this favor, the artist worked extensively for the imperial family, in particular Princess Pauline, Lucien and the Clary family, and Madame Mère, who commissioned several large-format works from him. In addition to portraits of the Emperor and the imperial family, he was also commissioned to paint portraits of the regime's leading dignitaries, marshals and ministers of the imperial court: for the Salon des Maréchaux in the Tuileries, Augereau duc de Castiglione (1804) and Oudinot duc de Reggio (1811), ministers Mollien (1806), Maret duc de Bassano (1807), Régnier duc de Massa (1808) Savary duc de Rovigo (1814), and among the Grand Officers of the Crown, Montesquiou Grand Chambellan (1810), Prince Lebrun archtreasurer of the Empire (1811), and others. A true "iconographer of the Empire", Robert Lefevre was a favorite for painting the imperial family, dignitaries and high society figures, both officially and in private. Among the many commissions given to the artist, it is difficult to distinguish in the archives between portraits of the emperor in coronation costume and those in uniform. However, it seems that 18 versions in imperial garb were made, notably for Madame Mère and Joseph Bonaparte. At least one replica, without the gold laurel wreath, was made for Marshal Soult. Like the uniformed versions, a bust portrait was painted by the artist to serve as a model for the replicas, or presented to the studio's students for copying practice. Related works - Napoleon in coronation costume. 1806. Salon of 1806. The artist's first commission for the Salle de réunion du Sénat (location unknown). - Napoleon in coronation costume (uncrowned). 1807. Château de Soultberg, family of Marshal Soult. - Napoleon in coronation costume. 1807. Provenance Madame mère, then by descent Bathilde Bonaparte, comtesse de Cambacérès, Musée de la Légion d'Honneur. - Napoleon in coronation costume. 1808. Presumed to have come from Joseph Bonaparte, now at the Maison d'éducation de la Légion d'Honneur in Saint-Denis. - Napoleon in coronation costume. 1809. Commissioned for the Château de Fontainebleau, Mme Tussaud's collection, now defunct. - Napoleon in coronation costume. 1809. Purchased in 1949 by the Musée de la Légion d'Honneur. - Napoleon in coronation costume. 1811. Musée de Versailles, MV 5134. Commissioned by the Corps législatif for the Palais Bourbon in 1811; Salon of 1812, no. 779. - Napoleon in coronation costume. 1813. Sotheby's London sale, July 9, 2015 n°105, copy of Madame mère, Sir Steward collection in 1816. Bibliography - J.-P. Samoyault, art. Le portrait de Napoléon par Robert Lefèvre, in Un Palais pour l'Empereur, Napoléon à Fontainebleau, ed. by Jean Vittet. Exhibition September 2021 - January 2022.