6254 - Napoleon and his generals in a field camp, most likely the evening before the Battle of Somosierra in November 1808

Napoleon and his generals in a field camp, most likely the evening before the Battle of Somosierra in November 1808 Oil on copper plate, unsigned. Napoleon is conversing with two civilians; on the right side of the painting, French generals and officers are gathered around a campfire; in the background on the left, French officers on horseback. An atmospheric scene set amid the mountainous landscape of the Somosierra Pass and beneath a cloudy evening sky; the paint is partially worn away. In an old, gilded frame (partially worn) with engraved decoration. Painting dimensions: 46.5 x 63.5 cm. Frame dimensions: 63 x 77.5 cm. Following the landing of English troops in Portugal on August 1, 1808, Napoleon ordered the strength of the French army in Spain to be increased to 250,000 men and hurried to Spain himself to assume supreme command on November 8, 1808. Napoleon drove the Spanish troops through the Sierra de Guadarrama; on November 30, he won the Battle of Somosierra and was able to occupy Madrid on December 4, 1808. Condition: II -