French Napoleonic Portrait Of General Marbot

An oil portrait on canvas, dating from the First Empire, depicting General Baron de Marbot (Jean-Baptiste Antoine Marcellin de Marbot). He is depicted wearing the uniform of a colonel in the 23rd Regiment of Mounted Chasseurs, with the Legion of Honor pinned to his left chest (an honor he received on October 16, 1808). The canvas has been restored and re-stretched; it has also been reframed. On the reverse are details of his military career, as well as a photograph of the labels that adorned the original frame, one of which comes from the “Redfern Gallery.” The work measures approximately 54 cm high by 44 cm wide; no signature is visible. Circa 1812.

Note –

General Baron Jean-Baptiste Antoine Marcellin de Marbot (1782–1854) was a brilliant French cavalry officer who served in all the Napoleonic Wars. He joined the army in 1799 and subsequently served as an aide-de-camp to several prominent French commanders, notably Marshals Augereau, Lannes, and Masséna.

Marbot took part in numerous major campaigns of the First Empire, such as Austerlitz (1805), Eylau (1807), the Spanish War, and the Russian Campaign of 1812, during which he commanded the 23rd Regiment of Mounted Chasseurs. At the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, he led the 7th Hussar Regiment before being wounded during the fighting.

Promoted to the rank of general under the July Monarchy, he is best known for his memoirs, which provide a direct and valuable account of the Napoleonic Wars.