About this artwork
Napoleon Bonaparte’s profile appears in silhouette before the setting sun, mourned by an eagle with a downcast head. The print’s title references the emperor’s penchant for using sculpted gilt eagles on top of his battle standards, which were variations on similar eagles sported by Roman legions. The British animal painter Edwin Landseer, who produced the design for this memorial roundel, specialized in poignant scenes of pets lamenting their owner’s demise. Curiously, here he turned the emperor’s standard into an actual bird.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Henry Thomas Ryall
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Title
- Napoleon's Eagle
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Place
- England (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- 1842
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Medium
- Stipple and engraving on ivory wove paper
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Dimensions
- Plate: Diam.: 18 cm (7 1/8 in.); Sheet: 36.4 × 31.2 cm (14 3/8 × 12 5/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Col. Robert R. McCormick
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Reference Number
- 1954.1185
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
