Egyptian Family (Sketch for "The Battle of the Pyramids"), Antoine-Jean Gros, 1830

In 1810, gros exhibited a massive painting of napoleon at the 1798 battle of the pyramids, one of the rare french triumphs in the failed campaign to conquer egypt (1789-1801). After napoleon first fell from power in 1814, the painting went into storage, until the new king louis-philippe chose to resurrect it for a history museum in paris. However, perhaps to diminish napoleon's significance, the government asked gros to amplify the original with an addition at each end. This painting incorporates general kléber, a famously successful military leader who had been excluded from the original painting. Object Type: painting. Date: 1830. Place of creation: France, 19th century. Dimensions: Framed: 377.2 x 154.9 x 12.7 cm (148 1/2 x 61 x 5 in.); Unframed: 353.1 x 132.1 cm (139 x 52 in.); Former: 306.8 x 131.5 cm (120 13/16 x 51 3/4 in.). Medium: oil on linen. Collection: Cleveland Museum of Art. Antoine-Jean Gros - Egyptian Family (Sketch for "The Battle of the Pyramids") - 1972.17.2 - Cleveland Museum of Art