Charles-Philippe de France (1757-1836), comte d'Artois, en uniforme de colonel général des Carabiniers, vers 1815

François Gérard's 1815 portrait of Charles-Philippe de France, Comte d'Artois — later Charles X — in his colonel-general's uniform was painted in the moment of the Bourbon Restoration. The Comte d'Artois was the most reactionary of the royal brothers, returning from exile in England with an ultraroyalist program that would eventually provoke the Revolution of 1830. Gérard, who had served as a court painter under Napoleon, smoothly transferred his services to the restored Bourbons, producing this official image of the King's brother with the accomplished neutrality of the professional court portraitist.

Gérard's official portrait style combines the crisp linearity he inherited from David with a warmer, more decorative color than his master employed. The uniform is rendered with scrupulous attention to military heraldry and fabric quality. The face is idealized enough for official use while retaining individual character.