Sketch for “Battle of the Pyramids”: Napoleon

Sketch for “Battle of the Pyramids”

François-André Vincent - c. 1800

In this French victory, the brave, though lightly armed Mamelukes were no match for the heavy guns of the French forces, formed here in squares. Overwhelmed, the Egyptian infantry panicked, scattered and tried to escape by swimming the Nile. Always the student of history, Napoléon preceeded the military engagement by telling his troops, “Soldiers, from the height of these pyramids forty centuries look down upon you.”

Historical Provenance - Ordered by Napoléon for Marshal Louis Berthier

Ink and sepia wash