Napoleon Crossing the Alps
Jacques-Louis David, 1801
The Belvedere / Cultural Institute David — horse rearing, cloak flying, Alps conquered.
About this work
Jacques-Louis David painted five versions of Napoleon Crossing the Alps between 1801 and 1805. The first was commissioned for King Charles IV of Spain as part of an exchange of diplomatic gifts. Napoleon then ordered three more, for the Château de Saint-Cloud, the library of Les Invalides and the Royal Palace of Milan, and David kept a fifth in his workshop until his death. The composition idealises the real crossing of the Great St Bernard Pass that Napoleon's Reserve Army made in May 1800, weeks before the victory at Marengo. Napoleon asked to be shown "calm, mounted on a fiery steed", and the rocks carry the names of earlier generals who led armies over the Alps, Hannibal and Charlemagne. It has become one of the most reproduced images of Napoleon. This is the Milan version, delivered in 1803. The Austrians confiscated it in 1816, the people of Milan kept it in the city until 1825, and it was installed at the Belvedere in Vienna in 1834, where it remains in the collection of the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere.
Sources: Wikipedia · Wikimedia Commons
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 4,897 × 5,850 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 32 × 39 in
- Sizes
- Small (17 × 20 in) · $100 · 288 ppi
Medium (20 × 24 in) · $150 · 244 ppi
Large (30 × 36 in) · $300 · 163 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of Napoleon Crossing the Alps?
Here. Napoleon Crossing the Alps is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (17 × 20 in) for $100, Medium (20 × 24 in) for $150 and Large (30 × 36 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for Napoleon Crossing the Alps?
The file is 4,897 × 5,850 px, so every size is sharp: even Large (30 × 36 in) prints at 163 ppi. Choose Large (30 × 36 in) for a large wall; Small (17 × 20 in) suits a narrower space.
Is it legal to print Napoleon Crossing the Alps?
Yes. Napoleon Crossing the Alps is in the public domain: its copyright, if it ever had one, expired long ago. In the United States a faithful photograph of a public-domain painting does not create a new copyright (Bridgeman v. Corel, 1999), so the image can be printed and sold freely.
