Napoleon Meditating on a Military Map at Charleroi

Napoleon Meditating on a Military Map from 1823 shows the emperor in strategic contemplation. This intimate image of Napoleon as military genius contributed to the Romantic myth of the emperor as a supreme intelligence. Vernet, director of the French Academy in Rome from 1828 and one of the most prolific history painters of the 19th century, executed military and narrative subjects with the fluid technical assurance and documentary accuracy that made him the pre-eminent French battle painter.

The composition presents Napoleon in concentrated thought with dramatic lighting. Vernet's handling creates an image of strategic genius in isolation.