Artist: Ernest Meissonier (Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier)
Year: c. 1861–1875
This is a reproduction print of the monumental historical painting “1807, Friedland”, created by French painter Ernest Meissonier between approximately 1861 and 1875. The artwork commemorates Napoleon Bonaparte's victory at the Battle of Friedland on June 14, 1807, one of the decisive engagements of the War of the Fourth Coalition. The battle saw the French Imperial Army defeat Russian forces commanded by General Levin August von Bennigsen in East Prussia, near the town of Friedland, now Pravdinsk in Russia's Kaliningrad region. The original painting is housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
The scene depicts Emperor Napoleon I mounted on horseback, reviewing his cavalry as French cuirassiers ride past him in a powerful display of military discipline and enthusiasm. The soldiers raise their swords and salute their emperor, while Napoleon remains composed and authoritative at the center of the composition. The painting evokes the confidence of the French army during the campaign that culminated in the Battle of Friedland. The French victory inflicted heavy losses on the Russian army and contributed directly to the Treaties of Tilsit in July 1807, which temporarily reorganized the political balance of continental Europe and established an alliance between Napoleon and Tsar Alexander I.
Meissonier's painting is particularly remarkable for its extraordinary attention to military uniforms, horses, weapons and the movement of cavalry formations. The artist devoted years to researching the Napoleonic period, studying historical equipment and carefully observing the anatomy and motion of horses. The composition combines meticulous realism, dramatic movement and a panoramic battlefield atmosphere, creating a vivid impression of the French cavalry's strength and energy. Rather than depicting the violence of combat, Meissonier focuses on the relationship between Napoleon and his soldiers, emphasizing military loyalty, imperial authority and the spectacle of Napoleonic warfare.
Painted in oil on canvas, the original artwork measures approximately 135.9 × 242.6 cm. Completed in 1875 after many years of work, it became one of Meissonier's most celebrated historical paintings and an outstanding example of 19th-century French academic military art. Meissonier was renowned for his painstaking historical accuracy and his ability to recreate the atmosphere of the Napoleonic era. Today, “1807, Friedland” remains an iconic artistic representation of Napoleon Bonaparte, the French Imperial cavalry, the Battle of Friedland and the military history of the First French Empire.
