Portrait of Marshal MacMahon
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| Portrait of Marshal MacMahon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Horace Vernet |
| Year | 1860 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, portrait painting |
| Dimensions | 215 cm × 140 cm (85 in × 55 in) |
| Location | Palace of Versailles, Versailles |
Portrait of Marshal MacMahon is an 1860 portrait painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It depicts the soldier Patrice de MacMahon, a general during the Second French Empire. MacMahon had distinguished himself at the Battle of Magenta fought on 4 June 1859 during the Second Italian War of Independence. MacMahon was made Duke of Mangenta and a Marshal by Napoleon III. He is depicted at full-length in his uniform against the backdrop of the battle of Mangenta.
MacMahon was forced to surrender at the Battle of Sedan in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. He later became President of the Third Republic, serving from 1873 to 1879. Vernet was a veteran artist whose career stretched back to the rule of the first Napoleon and was noted for his battle scenes, and had produced a depiction of the Storming of Malakoff during the Crimean War for MacMahon birthplace of Autun in 1857.[1]
This painting was commissioned by Napoleon III for the Musée de l'Histoire de France at the Palace of Versailles.[2][3] It was the artist's last official commission before his death in 1863.[4]
