The Facts
The Musée d'Orsay has published a detailed catalogue entry for Ernest Meissonier's oil-on-wood painting 'L'Empereur à la bataille de Solférino' (1863), which depicts Napoleon III at the 1859 Battle of Solferino. The work, measuring 43.5 by 76 cm, was acquired by the French state in 1864 for the Musée du Luxembourg and later transferred to the Musée d'Orsay in 1986. It is currently deposited at the Musée national du château de Compiègne and is not on view at the Orsay. The record lists the painting's provenance, including its acquisition from Napoleon III's collection, and its exhibition history at the 1864 Salon and later shows in Paris, Mannheim, and Chantilly.
The Signal
The painting represents a key example of Meissonier's meticulous military history painting, a genre that enjoyed official patronage under the Second Empire. Its current off-view status at Compiègne—a château closely tied to Napoleon III—reflects the museum's strategy of placing works in historically resonant settings. For collectors, the record underscores the enduring institutional interest in 19th-century academic painting, though such works rarely command the market attention of Impressionist or Modern counterparts.
- Artists: Ernest Meissonier
- People: Napoleon III
- Museums: Musée d'Orsay, Musée national du château de Compiègne, Musée du Luxembourg, Musée du Louvre
- Locations: Paris, Compiègne
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