La façade de la Cathédrale de Reims avec une procession médiévale et un cortège au premier plan 1825 - 1838

David Roberts created 'La façade de la Cathédrale de Reims avec une procession médiévale et un cortège au premier plan' to capture the historical grandeur of Reims Cathedral. Painted in the 19th century, it reflects a period of intense national and historical self-reflection in France. Roberts, a Scottish artist, presents the Cathedral not just as a religious site but as a stage for national identity, showing a romanticized procession that evokes the medieval era, a nod to France's royal past. The inclusion of the cortège in the foreground brings to mind the contemporary politics of the time. To fully understand this artwork, one needs to examine the history of Reims as the coronation site for French kings, and how 19th-century artists negotiated the legacy of the French Revolution with the restoration of the monarchy. Investigating exhibition records and critical reviews of the time would reveal more about how Roberts' contemporaries interpreted his blend of historical and contemporary elements.