Historical Painting: The Retreat From Russia, 1857

Moving Historical Painting – Scene from the Retreat from Russia, 1812
Imperial Guard Dragoon, after a model by Odier, signed P. Clamart Fils and dated 1857.

Oil on canvas depicting a horseman in military uniform, positioned in the foreground and leaning against his horse, whose head is bowed.
The scene takes place in a snowy landscape.
Several figures appear in the background, in an open space characterized by cool tones.

The figure wears a red jacket, light-colored breeches, and gold-colored accoutrements, as well as a gray cape.
His face is turned downward, and his posture appears slumped. The horse has a brown coat and occupies a prominent place in the composition. The combination of the red of the uniform, the browns of the animal, and the bluish grays of the landscape creates a striking chromatic contrast.

The scene is traditionally interpreted as a depiction of the 1812 Retreat from Russia, an episode of the Napoleonic campaign associated with harsh weather conditions, human casualties, and the hardships endured by the Grande Armée.

The presence of a dragoon from the Imperial Guard is also an iconographic identification based on the uniform depicted.
The notation “after a model by Odier” should be understood as a reference to a model or artistic source at the Louvre.

The painting bears the signature “P. Clamart Fils, 1857” in the lower right corner.
It is set in a gilded frame with molded and ornamental decoration, requiring restoration in places due to some missing sections. The visible condition of the painted surface shows some craquelure. 

Given its military subject matter, date, and pictorial treatment, the work can be linked to 19th-century French historical painting and the interest at that time in the Napoleonic legacy.
This connection, however, is based on a stylistic and historical interpretation. 

The subject corresponds to a well-known iconography in 19th-century French military painting.
In particular, the Louvre Museum holds a work titled *Episode from the Retreat from Russia*, dated 1856 and attributed to Denis-Auguste-Marie Raffet.

Our painting, dated 1857, is therefore perfectly consistent with this period of artistic rediscovery of the Napoleonic epic.