At noon on 2 December 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) together with his wife Josephine (1763-1814) arrived for his coronation in Notre Dame in Paris. He wore a golden laurel wreath on his head. The Roman emperors had also worn a laurel wreath, and Napoleon modelled himself on them when he had himself crowned Emperor. After constant warfare, Napoleon had conquered considerable areas for France, including several of the Italian states. And about 20,000 guests had been invited to the coronation ceremony in Notre Dame.
Napoleon commissioned François Gérard (1770-1837) to paint a portrait, which was finished in 1805. This full-length portrait of Napoleon wearing his coronation robes, was then to be reproduced in large numbers so as to ensure a copy for all official French offices outside France. Gérard’s painting was also the model when Raphael Morghen made this print. Morghen taught in the Accademia di Belle Arti at Florence and in 1803 was made a member of the Institut de France. In 1812 he was invited to a well-paid post in Paris by Napoleon, who also appointed him to the Legion of Honour in 1816.
Steph: Tofanelli delineavit / Raph: Morghen sculp: Florentine / NAPOLEON / Empereur des Francais Roi d'Italie, et Protecteur de la Confederation du Rhin
