What painting by Jacques-Louis David shows Napoleon crowning Josephine?

Jacques-Louis David’s painting of Napoleon crowning Josephine is The Coronation of Napoleon.

Its full official title describes the Consecration of Emperor Napoleon I and the Coronation of Empress Josephine at Notre-Dame de Paris on 2 December 1804. David completed the monumental oil painting in 1807, presenting the ceremony as a carefully staged spectacle of imperial legitimacy.

The composition does not simply show Napoleon placing a crown on his own head. Instead, Napoleon stands while Josephine kneels before him, and he raises a crown toward her. Pope Pius VII appears behind them, blessing the ceremony. David altered details to satisfy political and dynastic expectations: Napoleon’s mother, who did not attend the event, was included prominently in the painted audience.

The work is often confused with David’s Napoleon Crossing the Alps, which is another celebrated portrait of the emperor. The Coronation is enormous—about 9.79 metres wide—and emphasizes ceremony, costume, hierarchy, and propaganda. It entered the Louvre from Versailles in 1889; a second version is held at Versailles.