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Battle of the Pyramids, July 21, 1798

Former Attribution Formerly attributed to baron Antoine Jean Gros French
ca. 1800
Not on view
This large study is one of several Vincent executed depicting the Battle of the Pyramids, which took place on July 21, 1798 as part of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt. The project was part of a larger commission, issued in 1800 by Lucien Bonaparte, minister of the interior, for six large canvases, each by a different artist, depicting a series of battles. Although the painting was never completed, one can see Vincent's conception of the scene in this energetic study where a roiling, chaotic mass of horses and Mamluk soldiers on the banks of the Nile provide a powerful visual contrast to the orderly rows of French soldiers beyond.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Battle of the Pyramids, July 21, 1798
  • Artist: François André Vincent (French, Paris 1746–1816 Paris)
  • Former Attribution: Formerly attributed to baron Antoine Jean Gros (French, Paris 1771–1835 Meudon)
  • Date: ca. 1800
  • Medium: Pen and black ink, brush and brown wash, heightened with white on beige washed paper; squared in graphite
  • Dimensions: 15 3/4 x 29 1/2 in. (41.8 x 75.1 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1951
  • Object Number: 51.122
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Portrait of a Mother and Child, François André Vincent French, Black chalk, heightened with white chalk, over red chalk underdrawing, on beige paper
Portrait of a Mother and Child
François André Vincent
n.d.
Man Seated at a Keyboard Instrument, François André Vincent French, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash
Man Seated at a Keyboard Instrument
François André Vincent
1774
The Clemency of Augustus (Corneille, Cinna, V, 3), François André Vincent French, Pen and brown ink over red chalk, with traces of black chalk
The Clemency of Augustus (Corneille, Cinna, V, 3)
François André Vincent
ca. 1787–88
Venus and Adonis, François André Vincent French, Black chalk, heightened with white, over stumped charcoal, on beige paper
Venus and Adonis
François André Vincent
1778
The Clemency of Augustus (recto); Knight Restraining a Female Figure (verso), François André Vincent French, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of red chalk; perspective lines in graphite (recto). Red chalk; squared in red chalk (verso).
The Clemency of Augustus (recto); Knight Restraining a Female Figure (verso)
François André Vincent
ca. 1787–88

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