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Hand wood-block printed décor, attributed to Jourdan-Villard, 1827, France.
Full scenic: total linear Width: 15 m x Height: 2,02 m ( W 49’ x H 6’7”)
This version consists of 28/30 strips (small missing part to right of Mameluke figure).
The composition was inspired by Horace Vernet’s numerous battle scenes, the paintings “Le Cuirassier Blessé” by Géricault and Gérard’s “La Bataille d’Austerlitz.”
Treated as an immense “fresque,” Napoleon’s great military epic unrolls depicting the important figures and events that culminate in the Emperor’s victory of Dec. 2, 1805: the assault of the Pratzen Hill, the Emperors’ François I and Alexander I flight with the Austrian and Russian troops, General Rapp delivering captured Prince Repnin, and
Napoleon dominating the scene surrounded by his general staff (Berthier, Junot, Bessieres, Duroc, Roustan, and Prince Murat) with the “Grande Armée” deployed behind them.
This scenic was printed only once in a small edition of approximately 100 sets. Few versions have survived, some incomplete or in bad condition.