# Napoleon Rising to Immortality

[View the canonical artwork record](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/rude-franois-r4b36995f7be7aa/napoleon-rising-to-immortality-r685eabef7a1f3d>)

## Artwork

- Artist: [RUDE, François](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/rude-franois-r4b36995f7be7aa>)
- Date: 1801-1850
- Technique: Bronze, width 251 cm

## Commentary

Among the main works of Rude&#39;s ultimately Romantically-oriented late work is this astonishing monument. It shows a rejuvenated Napoleon, &#39;waking to immortality&#39; from his death-bed on St Helena, with eyes closed and laurel wreath on his head rising out of the funeral pall. Commissioned by Captain Noisot of the small corps of grenadiers Napoleon had been allowed to retain during his first period of exile on Elba in 1814, this was finished in 1847. Already in 1840 Louis-Philippe had consented to the return of Napoleon&#39;s body for a state burial in Les Invalides, thus officially incorporating him into French history. With its laurel wreath and epaulettes, and its expiring eagle breaking its chains, Rude&#39;s conception is heroic, like the apotheoses by which Girodet or Ingres had immortalized the emperor&#39;s dead soldiers. &lt;P&gt; &lt;TABLE ALIGN=LEFT CELLPADDING=5 BORDER=1 WIDTH=320 BGCOLOR=&#34;\#99CCCC&#34;&gt; &lt;TR VALIGN=MIDDLE&gt;&lt;TD&gt;&lt;IMG SRC=&#34;/support/gif/listen.gif&#34; BORDER=0 VALIGN=MIDDLE&gt; Suggested listening \(streaming mp3, 51 minutes\):&lt;BR&gt;&lt;A HREF=&#34;\#&#34; onClick=&#34;w=window.open \(&#39;/music1/beethoven/beethoven\_symphony3.html&#39;, &#39;newWin&#39;, &#39;scrollbars=yes,status=no,dependent=yes,screenX=0,screenY=0,width=350,height=350&#39;\);w.opener=this;w.focus\(\);return true&#34;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 \(Eroica\) in E Flat major op. 55 \(1803\)&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/A&gt; &lt;/TD&gt;&lt;/TR&gt;&lt;/TABLE&gt;

## Related artworks

- [March of the Volunteers of 1792 \(detail\)](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/rude-franois-r4b36995f7be7aa/march-of-the-volunteers-of-1792-detail-r1c0945671d8c99>)
- [March of the Volunteers of 1792 \(detail\)](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/rude-franois-r4b36995f7be7aa/march-of-the-volunteers-of-1792-detail-r5470761b3c84b1>)
- [March of the Volunteers of 1792 \(detail\)](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/rude-franois-r4b36995f7be7aa/march-of-the-volunteers-of-1792-detail-r97df02335c4ff8>)
- [March of the Volunteers of 1792 \(La Marseillaise\)](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/rude-franois-r4b36995f7be7aa/march-of-the-volunteers-of-1792-la-marseillaise-r943ce364c35e93>)
- [Marshal Ney](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/rude-franois-r4b36995f7be7aa/marshal-ney-r29526bcbf83410>)
- [Neapolitan Fisherboy Playing with a Tortoise](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/rude-franois-r4b36995f7be7aa/neapolitan-fisherboy-playing-with-a-tortoise-rbd67439c85c17a>)
- [The Imperial Eagle Watching over Napoleon](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/rude-franois-r4b36995f7be7aa/the-imperial-eagle-watching-over-napoleon-r7be547b261e723>)

## Attribution

[Web Gallery of Art](<https://beta.wga.hu/pages/about>)