Napoleon and Josephine Visiting the Studio of David, January 4, 1808

Napoleon and Josephine Visiting the Studio of David, January 4, 1808

Charles Motte

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This lithograph is based on a drawing by Norblin depicting the visit of Napoléon, Josephine, and their entourage to the studio of Jacques Louis David (1748-1825) to see the recently completed Coronation of Josephine. Napoleon, gesturing towards the picture with his tricorne, looks back towards the artist to praise his achievement.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Napoleon and Josephine Visiting the Studio of David, January 4, 1808Napoleon and Josephine Visiting the Studio of David, January 4, 1808Napoleon and Josephine Visiting the Studio of David, January 4, 1808Napoleon and Josephine Visiting the Studio of David, January 4, 1808Napoleon and Josephine Visiting the Studio of David, January 4, 1808

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.