François-Pascal-Simon baron GERARD. 1770-1837.
Painter.
Study for the large drawing of the Concordat with Bonaparte. Nd (circa 1805).
Graphite drawing, double-sided sketch; two-sided under marie-louise and gilded wood frame with palmettes.
Dimensions : 10,5 x 7,5 cm ; cadre 18,5 x 21,5 cm
Desrais, study for the Concordat
Pencil study for the large drawing of the Concordat by the painter Gérard.
This first sketch presents an interesting variation in the general composition which differs from the final work. It shows Bonaparte First Consul, seated on the left, not from the front but from the side, his face turned towards the viewer, leaning on his armchair; with a pen in his hand, he presents the treatise to Cardinal Consalvi on the right; in the background, in front of hangings erected for the occasion, and placed between the two main characters, stands Joseph Bonaparte or Portalis, the main instigator of the drafting of the treaty.
The government of the First Consul had been negotiating the basis of a Concordat with the court of Rome for a long time. The articles having been discussed and approved in Paris by the State Councilors Joseph Bonaparte, Cretet and Abbé Bernier, doctor of theology, on the one hand, and Cardinal Consalvi on the other, the Minister of Religion Portalis and the commissioners were received at the Tuileries in the office of the First Consul who signed the concordat on July 15, 1801.
Although the signing of the Concordat was crucial in the policy of the First Consul, having succeeded in bringing internal peace to France [troubled by religious questions since 1791], representations of this event are nevertheless relatively rare. According to the competition which was established in 1802 to celebrate the Concordat, only the names of a few artists emerge in public collections; thus the allegory of the Concordat, composed by Pierre-Joseph-Célestin François (1759-1851), or the series of drawings presenting the signature of the Concordat by Claude-Louis Desrais (1732-1808). In 1803, Wicar gained favor with the government with his painting showing the ratification of the Concordat by the Pope; Denon, Director of the Central Museum of Arts, ordered an engraving from Boucher-Desnoyer based on this painting, to be distributed to Cardinal Fesch and Cardinal Consalvi for the express intention of the Pope.[1]
Final drawing by Gérard executed in 1805
Engraving executed on the orders of Napoleon
The policy implemented to glorify each important event emanating from the First Consul, was taken into consideration for propaganda purposes. In his report to Bonaparte, Denon wrote: It would also be important that historical paintings of this nature were not always given as encouragement to painters in need, but to the best artists who would receive their glory from the government and make that of their century .[2] At that time, in 1803, Gérard had been approached to carry out another historical subject, the Swiss act of mediation. It was only at the advent of the Empire that Gérard took up the subject to present his drawing of the Concordat. Simple order or sketch for the creation of a large canvas, the artist will receive 1200 Francs, according to the accounts of the Household of the Emperor for April 1805.[3] We must believe that this drawing pleased Napoleon, since it was then placed in the apartments of His Holiness before being recovered by Denon in February 1806, for the collections of the Louvre Museum[]. By imperial decree of March 1, 1806[4], a fund of 8,000 Francs was allocated for the execution of an engraving based on the drawing of Mr. Gérard,
[1] Denon correspondence, Archives of the National Museums, letters n° 105 and 223, concerning the engraving of the drawing, representing Pope Pius VII handing over to Cardinal Consalvi the bull of ratification of the Concordat. It appears from this correspondence that the engraving ordered by the act of 22 germinal year 11 (AMN C6 “Chalcographie - Commandes et acquisitions”, April 12, 1803), a period of ten months was provided for its delivery, and a payment of 2 500 F for 50 copies avant la lettre and one hundred and fifty copies on fine paper. Denon sent six proofs to Cardinal Fesch (letter 292, 5 Frimaire year 12) and one hundred proofs to Cardinal Consalvi for the pope (letter 293, 5 Frimaire year 12). By order of the Emperor, this engraving was printed again in February 1806, when plans were being made to engrave Gérard's drawing.
[2] Note by Denon on a report to the First Consul. Letter n°AN5, March 5, 1803, National Archives AF IV 1049[3] Letter n°679, April 21, 1805, National Museum Archives, register *AA5 p. 143, Denon, general director of the Napoleon Museum to M. de Fleurieu, general intendant of the Emperor's Household. Mention of Gérard's drawing, the price of which is compared to that of Isabey. (…) Mr. Gérard has just made a drawing of La Signature du Concordat and this first-rate painter received 1200 francs for it. (…).
[4] Letter n°AN48, 02/19/1806, National Archives AF IV 1050 dr 2 n° 18, Report to the Emperor. In the same report, the proof of the engraving of Wicar's painting was sent to the Pope on the orders of Napoleon.
[5] National Archives Series S6 (National Museums) - 20144793/12 (1810-1835) – Correspondence addressed to Vivant Denon. Daru asks Denon to draw up a report on the choice of artists and the means to be implemented for the execution of the works as ordered by the 3 imperial decrees of March 1 (The 1st decree orders the execution of painted portraits of members of his family, the 3rd decree orders the engraving of the drawing representing the signature of the Concordat.).
Charles Monnet. Signature of the Concordat.
representing the First Consul signing the Concordat presented to him by Cardinal Consalvi and the members of the Council of State Joseph Bonaparte, Portalis and Cretet.[6] The work will be entrusted to engravers Henri Laurent for the first project and Avril for subcontracting the engravings which will be completed a year later.[7] In August and October 1807, Denon invited Gérard to agree to the edition of the engraving, after examining the proofs; sparing the artist's sensibilities, Denon asked him to point out any possible corrections to be made to the engraver's attention, and even suggested that he modify "the position of the legs" of the First Consul.[8] Gérard's drawing of the Concordat, the engraving of which will be widely distributed, notably to senior ecclesiastics and the Pope's entourage, will have a certain influence in the representation of this significant event. For example, the drawings of Charles Monnet (1732-1808) which illustrates the work entitled The History of France under the Empire of Napoleon the Great (…) published between 1809 and 1813 by the engraver David.
Outline of the Concordat
Sketch of the portrait of Madame Récamier
coll. from the city of Quimper
Sketch of the portrait of Madame Récamier
coll. private (Christie's Paris, March 2018)
as ordered by the 3 imperial decrees of March 1 (The 1st decree orders the execution of painted portraits of members of one's family, the 3rd decree orders the engraving of the drawing representing the signature of the Concordat.).
[6] Archives of the national museums, Denon to the General Intendant of the Household of the Emperor, Letter n°1039, October 13, 1806 & Letter n°1080, December 31, 1806.
[7] Idem, Letter No. 1249, November 18, 1807. Mr. General Intendant, I have the honor to send you a statement of proposed payment of a sum of 4,000 F to be made to Mr. Laurent, engraver , for the third and fourth quarter of the engraving of the drawing of La Signature du Concordat. This work having been completed, I ask you, Mr. General Intendant, to order this sum of 4,000 F for the benefit of Mr. Laurent from the fund of 8,000 F allocated in 1806 for the execution of this engraving. (…)
[8] National Museum Archives. Denon to Gérard. Letter No. 1157, August 11, 1807. On my arrival, Sir, I received your letter relating to the engraving of your drawing of the Concordat. Your complaint is well-founded, and the plate that I have not yet been able to see will not be published until you have examined it; this has always been my intention and, if the engraver (…). & Letter n°1207, October 6, 1807. Mr. Avril has just given me, Sir, the engraving that he made based on your drawing of the Concordat. The changes, which I indicated to him and which he made, have greatly improved his work, and Mr. Avril assures me that you were satisfied with them. However, I would like something as a design for Her Majesty's legs, and I ask you, Sir, to let me know your opinion on this engraving, and to let me know if you believe that, in the state in which it is, it makes the corrections to your drawing.
Related works:
- Gerard. Signature of the Concordat between France and the Holy See, July 15, 1801. Nd Drawing (48 x 60 cm), Musée du château de Versailles, collection of drawings and miniatures, INV26712.
- Signature of the Concordat between France and the Holy See. 1807. Engraving by Henri Laurent.
- Lestang-Parade, Alaux, Le Romain. Signature of the Concordat between France and the Holy See. 1834. Oil on canvas (decorative panel). Commissioned by Louis-Philippe for the Historical Museum of the Palace of Versailles in 1834, after Gérard.
On the back of our sketch, there is the hindquarters of a horse, a study that can be attributed to the horse of the hunter of the Guard, to the left of Gérard's composition, on his masterpiece of the Battle of Austerlitz . Very busy with his portraits, Gérard created few large compositions. He presented this monumental work at the Salon of 1810, achieving immense success. In his report to the Emperor, Denon again was particularly complimentary of Gérard, placing the artist at the height of his fame: Gérard, in the painting of The Battle of Austerlitz, displayed the talent that, for 15 years, he had been announcing and, for six, I had been criticizing him for not producing. After having said that his sky is without transparency, all that remains is to praise it on all the other parts of his painting. The cast of his groups is elegant and vast. Its composition is noble and pronounced; it has all the interest that the subject demands. (…) Your Majesty will finally be able to see Gérard in the place he must have occupied for a long time, and show himself to be one of the greatest talents in Europe (…).[9]
It will be noted that representations of horses in Gérard's painting are extremely rare. This same drawing will be used much later, in 1817 in another monumental painting, that of the entry of Henri IV
[9] Denon, Report to the Emperor, Letter n°AN89, November 11, 1810, National Archives AF IV 1050 dr 6 n° 7cc November 11, 1810.
in Paris[10]; to the right of the painting, we observe the identical position of the horse on which Jacques de Matignon greets the arrival of the King by raising his sword to the sky. Perhaps we can assume that the artist sought ease by using this model which made him successful; This equine study remains no less exceptional for our painter who is among the greatest portraitists of his time.
[10] We will note a parallel between the painting of Austerlitz and that of Henry IV's entry into Paris. In a report from Count Pradel, director of the Maison du Roi, it was requested that the dimensions of the canvas be identical. The Count of Pradel wants Mr. Lavallée to consult with Mr. Visconti for the price of the painting ordered from Mr. Gérard “The Entry of Henry IV into Paris”, he informs him that the dimensions must be the same as those of the ceiling of the Council of State room representing “The Battle of Austerlitz” which it must replace (…). National Archives, National Museums Series P6 - 20144790/58