The Battle of Hanau
Artist: Emile-Jean-Horace Vernet (French, 1789 - 1863)
Original Dimensions: 68 1/2" x 114 1/8"
Location: National Gallery of Art, London
About Artwork: (1824) "Following his defeat at the Battle of Leipzig on 19 October 1813, Napoleon was forced to withdraw west of the Rhine and retreat to France. As the French withdrew, they met a force of Austro-Bavarian troops, under the command of Karl Philipp von Wrede, on 30 October at the town of Hanau, near Frankfurt. Despite their previous heavy losses, the French, under the personal command of Napoleon, pushed back Wrede’s troops and captured Hanau, which gave them eventual access to France. The Battle of Hanau was one of Napoleon’s final victories before France was invaded. This painting is the third in a group of four battle scenes commissioned from Vernet by the duc d'Orléans. Although the duke did not fight at Hanau, he benefited politically from references to Napoleon and the memory of imperial victory. As in the other pictures in the group, a panoramic view is combined with detailed scenes of dramatic action." - (National Gallery of Art, London)

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