Detail of Napoleon I on His Imperial
Throne |  | Ingres
cleverly designed a carpet with symbolic motifs intended to associate Napoleon
with other figures of power and authority. The large imperial eagle in the foreground
alludes to the Roman god Jupiter. On the left, the carpet's border features signs
of the zodiac. Virgo (in the rondel just above Ingres's signature) is represented
by a schematic adaptation of Raphael's Madonna della Sedia (c. 1514), a painting
Ingres much admired. The sign of Cancer is only partly visible. The reflection
of its red claw in the highly polished surface of the emperor's throne is a flourish
the young artist obviously could not resist. | |
