Dome

Detail, kneeling Josephine with Napoleon's sisters and brothers in the background; Jacques Louis David was commissioned by Napoleon I to paint this huge canvas which depicts the splendor of the emperor’s Coronation while conveying its political and symbolic message. The painter himself was present at the ceremony, and once back in his studio portrayed the colorful congregation with realism, combining accuracy with artistry while also complying with the Emperor’s instructions. He made exhaustive preliminary studies for all the personages to be shown and enlisted the help of Ignace-Eugène-Marie Degotti (died 1824), a scene painter from the Paris Opéra, for difficulties he encountered with perspective. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 5/1/2013)