Napoleon with the Grande Armée - Engraving After Ernest Meissonier - 8" x 10¾"

A modest-scale framed print after Ernest Meissonier, depicting a mounted commander leading members of his Grande Armée through deep winter snow, with 1814 noted on the mount. The black-and-white intaglio image captures a stark wartime moment, either during an advance or a retreat, its atmosphere reinforced by the soldiers’ distinctive bicorne hats, greatcoats, and the composed, hand-in-coat posture of the central rider, all characteristic elements long associated with Napoleonic scenes. The print is set within a warm buff mat inscribed Meissonier above and 1814 below, and housed in a giltwood and gesso frame ornamented with a repeating guilloche and foliate border, the gilding showing an appealing, time-softened patina. Condition is good and gently worn, with mellow toning to the mount, a few scattered specks, and minor rubbing and small gesso losses to the frame consistent with age.

Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier (1815-1891) was celebrated for meticulously detailed historical and military scenes that helped shape the 19th-century taste for Napoleonic imagery. His painting of the 1814 Campaign of France became one of his most disseminated compositions, reproduced by European publishers in engraved and photogravure editions for a broad audience. Prints such as this were intended for the bourgeois salon and study, prized for their clarity of line and documentary spirit, and they reflect the period’s admiration for precision and French savoir-faire in both printing and framing.

This piece lends stature to a study, library, or office, especially alongside Empire bronzes, maps, and leather-bound books. It hangs well above a partner’s desk or on a gallery wall where the timeworn gilding adds warmth and quiet gravitas. The restrained palette suits dark painted walls, wood paneling, or stone, providing a refined historical note without overpowering contemporary furnishings.