Napoleon poses triumphantly as Emperor of France. He extends a hand over the Civil Code, the orb and the hand of justice that rest on the table. He wears the grand collar of the Legion of Honour and holds a sceptre surmounted by the Imperial eagle. Gold bees, associated with the ancient kings of France, decorate his mantle, adding legitimacy to his rule. In 1812 Girodet was commissioned to paint 36 identical portraits of the Emperor.
