Bust of General Guillaume Brune

Joseph Chinard was among the most popular portraitists of his day and a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte. His depiction of General Guillaume Brune shows why: he achieves a sense of intimacy without detracting from the dignity of a career soldier. Brune served under Napoleon Bonaparte in the Italian campaign of 1796 and afterward ascended quickly in the ranks of the French army. When Napoleon was crowned emperor in 1804, Brune was promoted to the role of marshal of the empire, a political title he held until 1807. As Brune is not wearing the marshal uniform, the bust was probably made before his elevation. After Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1815, Brune was assassinated by a royalist mob.