Le général comte François Fournier-Sarlovèze

The portrait of General Comte Fournier-Sarlovèze from 1812, now in the Louvre, depicts one of Napoleon's most celebrated and flamboyant cavalry officers — a man famous for his twenty-two duels, his dangerous courage, and his theatrical personality that made him a legend within the Grande Armée. Fournier-Sarlovèze was reportedly the inspiration for the hussar character in Ridley Scott's 1977 film The Duellists, and his portrait by Gros captures something of the electric energy that contemporary accounts attributed to him. Gros had been painting Napoleon's officers since the Italian campaigns of 1796, developing a repertoire for military portraiture that combined the formal requirements of official representation with his ability to capture individual personality through bold handling and rich coloring. The Louvre portrait belongs to the peak of his mature period, made the same year that Napoleon's Russian campaign began the catastrophic decline of the Empire. Fournier-Sarlovèze survived the wars and the Restoration, living until 1827, and Gros's 1812 portrait captures him at the height of his military career and his charismatic celebrity within the world of Napoleonic France.

Gros captures the cavalryman’s spirited personality through animated expression and bold handling. The hussar’s elaborate uniform provides rich color and decorative detail that Gros renders with characteristic panache.