Majestic Napoleonic Officer in Uniform — Print & Oil Painting

The paint is laid on with a knife and never pretends otherwise. Whole passages of the background are single flat scrapes of cream, dove grey and pale blue, the ground is dragged brown, and the ranks of infantry behind are built from short blunt strokes with no drawing under them at all. Only the officer is finished.

He stands dead centre, feet apart, both hands resting at his hips on the hilts hanging there. The coat is a strong marine blue with a gold embroidered standing collar, bullion epaulettes on both shoulders, white belts crossing the chest and a broad leather waist belt with a plate. Below that, white breeches and black boots to the knee, with white gloves on both hands.

It is worth saying plainly that this is a painter's uniform rather than a documented pattern. The doubled white belts, the gold panel at the waist and the placing of the embroidery are assembled for effect, and no regiment of the period wore quite this combination.

Behind him the picture divides in two. On the left a company in dark coats and black shakos stands with muskets sloped; on the right a great blue, white and red flag falls across the entire corner in three broad strokes. Smoke closes the gap between them. Part of our Napoleon era collection, beside Grenadier of the Imperial Guard, which takes the same army much closer to the regulation detail.