Describe the characteristics of the Artist and commission in this artwork's Painting.
Delaroche, who studied with Antoine-Jean Gros, a protege of David, was a popular French painter of portraits and grand subjects from history and the Bible.The Liverpool painting was commissioned by Arthur George, Third Earl of Onslow, after Delaroche and George reportedly visited the Louvre in Paris, where they saw David's version of the famous event. It had only recently been re-hung in the museum after a resurgence of interest in Napoleon, nearly 40 years after he was exiled. Agreeing that the painting was unrealistic, George, who owned a sizable collection of Napoleonic paraphernalia, commissioned Delaroche to create a more realistic depiction. Elizabeth Foucart-Walker asserts that in fact the painting that hangs in the Louvre-Lens was produced first as it was already in America by 1850, when the Liverpool painting was produced. Stephen Bann suggests that Arthur George's meeting with Delaroche may have occurred, but Delaroche chose to produce two works that are almost identical and send one to America.
Napoleon Bible Antoine-Jean Gros Earl of Onslow version Liverpool Louvre-Lens Arthur George Louvre Third Earl of Onslow