# The Coronation of Charlemagne [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [RAFFAELLO Sanzio]() - Date: 1501-1550 - Technique: Fresco, width at the base 670 cm ## Commentary Charlemagne was crowned by Leo III in AD 800 in the Vatican Basilica. In the fresco the Emperor has the features of the French king, Francis I, who had been on the throne since 1515. The reason for this is that Leo X, unlike his predecessor, was seeking a political alliance with the French, and this was a way of honoring Francis I. <P> <TABLE ALIGN=LEFT CELLPADDING=5 BORDER=1 WIDTH=320 BGCOLOR="\#99CCCC"> <TR VALIGN=MIDDLE><TD><IMG SRC="/support/gif/listen.gif" BORDER=0 VALIGN=MIDDLE> Suggested listening \(streaming mp3, 11 minutes\):<BR><A HREF="\#" onClick="w=window.open \('/music1/19\_cent/mussorgsky\_godunov\_coronation.html', 'newWin', 'scrollbars=yes,status=no,dependent=yes,screenX=0,screenY=0,width=350,height=350'\);w.opener=this;w.focus\(\);return true"><B>Modest Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov, Coronation Scene</B></A> </TD></TR></TABLE> ## Related artworks - [A Group of Nude Men]() - [A Group of Warriors]() - [A nude man advancing to the right \(verso\)]() - [A Soldier before the Cell of St Peter]() - [A Youthful Warrior \(recto\)]() - [Adam and Eve \(ceiling panel\)]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aldobrandini Madonna \(Garvagh Madonna\)]() - [Allegory \(The Knight's Dream\)]() - [Amorini at play \(verso\)]() - [An Angel]() - [Angel \(fragment of the Baronci Altarpiece\)]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()