Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa

The painting "Bonaparte Visiting the Plague-Stricken in Jaffa" was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804 to illustrate an event from his Egyptian Campaign. Created by Antoine-Jean Gros, the artwork depicts Napoleon visiting his ailing soldiers at the Armenian Saint Nicholas Monastery in Jaffa. The painting was intended to enhance Napoleon's public image and counteract rumors that he had ordered the execution of plague victims with opium during his retreat from Syria.

This piece belongs to the French paintings collection at the Louvre and was first exhibited in September 1804 at the Salon de Paris. This exhibition coincided with Napoleon's transition from being proclaimed emperor to his coronation at Notre-Dame de Paris in December. Dominique Vivant Denon, who accompanied Napoleon on his Egyptian expedition and later served as the director of the Louvre, provided Gros with guidance on the painting.

The composition of the painting is inspired by Jacques-Louis David's "Oath of the Horatii" featuring three distinct arches that symbolize different realms. Set in the Armenian Saint Nicholas Monastery in Jaffa, the painting shows Napoleon interacting with his sick soldiers. A dramatic highlight is Napoleon touching a bubo, a gesture that can be interpreted as either brave or reckless, depending on one's perspective on the Napoleonic legend.

The depicted visit occurred during a bubonic plague outbreak among the French troops in Jaffa. Armenian priests provided medicine that helped some soldiers recover, and Napoleon's gesture of gratitude towards the Armenian patriarch is featured in the painting. Various elements, such as a man suffering from both blindness and plague, add layers to the narrative.

Medical practices of the time, like incising buboes, were largely ineffective against the disease. The painting portrays the soldiers' suffering realistically, marking a departure from the idealism of earlier artworks. This episode also reflects the controversial suggestion attributed to Napoleon of administering fatal doses of opium to the sick during the siege of Acre.