An Allegory of Empress Josephine as Patroness of the Gardens at Malmaison

baron François Gérard

ca. 1805–6 · Watercolor and pen and black ink, over black chalk underdrawing on paper, laid down on board · Drawings and Prints

In this watercolor, Gérard pays homage to Napoleon’s first wife, Josephine, as a patron of horticulture. He shows the goddess Flora adorning a bust of the empress with a garland of flowers. The background features the great glasshouse on the grounds of Malmaison, constructed to protect Josephine’s collection of exotic plants and serve as a space for entertaining guests. Appointed premier peintre (first painter) to the Empress Josephine in 1806, Gérard enjoyed success along with a reputation as a portrait painter for the Bonaparte family and their entourage that surpassed even that of his teacher Jacques Louis David.

Artist

baron François Gérard

Date

ca. 1805–6

Medium

Watercolor and pen and black ink, over black chalk underdrawing on paper, laid down on board

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Guy Wildenstein Gift, 2003