Joséphine in coronation costume

Following in the tradition of the official Ancien Régime portraitists such as Rigaud, Van Loo, Duplessis and Callet, François Gérard was adept at capturing all the grandeur of the imperial court. Painted in 1807-1808, his portrait of the Empress Joséphine in her coronation regalia is typical of his style. The painter is concerned not only with the physical resemblance of his model, but also with realistically reproducing the details of the imperial robes created for her by the fashion house Leroy et Rimbaud, and the crown created by the goldsmith Marguerite.