Portrait of Empress Joséphine

This 1808 portrait of Empress Joséphine at the Musée Masséna records Napoleon’s first wife at the height of the Empire, shortly before their 1809 divorce. Gros’s access to the imperial court through his position as Napoleon’s preferred painter gave him unparalleled opportunities to portray the Bonaparte family and their circle. Characteristic of the artist's mature approach, the work displays monumental scale, vivid reportorial color, Romantic energy in figure groups, combining David's Neoclassical training with the excitement of actual military events.

The imperial portrait combines the formality of court portraiture with Gros’s warm, sensuous handling of color and light. Joséphine’s celebrated elegance is captured through careful attention to costume and the artist’s characteristic luminous palette.