Napoleon staat triomfant op zijn schip dat wordt omgeven door zeewezens en engelen 1808

Teodoro Matteini made this image of Napoleon triumphantly upon his ship sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century using engraving. The print depicts Napoleon as a Roman emperor, surrounded by sea creatures and angels in a Neoclassical style that evokes power and authority. Prints like these contributed to the ‘Napoleonic cult’, a form of propaganda that used images to create and maintain the emperor’s popularity. Matteini has him posed heroically, conflating Napoleon with historical figures like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. Sea creatures allude to Napoleon's ambition to control maritime routes and overseas territories, while the angels seemingly grant divine approval to his reign. We might see the use of allegory and classical references as tools for myth-making, a way to distance the leader from the people while cementing his dominance through historical and divine associations. One cannot help but wonder how the represented triumphalism contrasts with the reality of political instability and human cost.