Bonaparte Crossing the Alps is an oil-on-canvas painting by French artist
Paul Delaroche, completed in 1850. The work depicts
Napoleon Bonaparte leading his army through the
Alps on a mule, a journey they made during the
War of the Second Coalition in the spring of 1800. Napoleon is portrayed as downcast, gaunt and chilled, his expressionless face displaying his weariness resulting from the long, arduous trek. This representation is in marked contrast to
Jacques-Louis David's idealistic depiction of the same historical event in Napoleon Crossing the Alps, where the protagonist wears a pristine uniform, rides a fiery steed and is depicted as a hero. This painting is now in the collection of the
Walker Art Gallery in
Liverpool, England.Painting credit:
Paul Delaroche