Napoleon I Bonaparte staat op uit zijn graf 1856 - 1897

This etching by Henri-Charles Guérard, titled "Napoleon I Bonaparte staat op uit zijn graf" (Napoleon I Bonaparte rises from his grave), depicts the French emperor emerging from a tomb, his hand raised in a gesture of defiance. The work was created between 1856 and 1897, a period of historical revisionism surrounding Napoleon's legacy. The dark and dramatic composition, with the figure illuminated by a single light source, evokes a sense of the supernatural, highlighting Napoleon's enduring power and influence. The presence of a skull in the foreground suggests mortality and the cyclical nature of history, while the inscription "LE ROI EST MORT, VIVE LE ROI" (The King is dead, long live the King) further reinforces the theme of renewal and rebirth. This print is now part of the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.