Jerzy Kossak, NAPOLEON ON THE NINE, 1930

37,7 x 49,3cm - oil, cardboard signed p.d.: Jerzy Kossak | 1930



The painting Napoleon on the Nemunas is one of many works by this painter, which refers to the period of the Napoleonic wars. It depicts the symbolic moment when Napoleon's army crossed the Niemen River, which marked the beginning of the Russian campaign - one of the most important and dramatic military expeditions in history. On June 21, 1812, Napoleon's army, numbering some 600,000 soldiers, began to cross the Neman River in the Kaunas region, entering the lands of the Russian Empire. This was the beginning of Napoleon's Moscow Expedition, which aimed to subjugate Russia and force Tsar Alexander I to submit to the continental blockade system against Great Britain.

Jerzy Kossak, like his father Wojciech and grandfather Juliusz, was famous for painting battle scenes in which figures on horseback, soldiers and monumental depictions of nature played an important role. In Napoleon on the Nemunas, however, the artist focused on depicting the Emperor of the French as he crossed into enemy territory without a view of the river or the troops themselves. The intimate composition and posture of the commander may suggest both confidence and thoughtfulness about the upcoming campaign.



♣ a fee will be added to the auctioned price in addition to other costs, based on the right of the artist and his heirs to receive remuneration in accordance with the Law of February 4, 1994 - on Copyright and Related Rights (droit de suite)

Jerzy Kossak (Krakow 1886 - Krakow 1955)- son of Wojciech, grandson of Juliusz Kossak- from early childhood painted under the direction of his father and grandfather. A continuator and imitator of their art, he created battle, historical and genre scenes with the omnipresent motif of the horse. He painted pictures of the November Uprising, the Napoleonic Wars and many scenes from the 1920 war. His best-known composition of this kind was Miracle on the Vistula. He also painted numerous Chases and Lancer Chases with Cossacks, Wolf Raids, Hunting and Weddings. The subject matter of these works makes them constantly popular with collectors and the public, always thronging to exhibitions of Kossak paintings.