Napoleon Bonaparte

This is a fine impression of a rare mezzotint after the portrait in the Musée national de la Légion d’honneur showing Napoleon as First Consul, his hand resting on papers referring to notable events in his career, most prominently a plan of the battle of Marengo and a list of treaties up to Amiens. The print must have been damaged at some early stage with the result that the corners and lower margin were removed reducing it to an oval which was carefully attached to a backing sheet before it was purchased by the British Museum in 1850.