Description
Although based in Philadelphia, landscape and portrait painter Charles Lawrence was born near Bordentown, New Jersey, the site of the idyllic scene pictured here. Point Breeze was the name of the country estate owned by Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte (the older brother of the French emperor Napoleon I), who fled to America after his brother’s fall from power. Under a warm, golden light, Napoleon’s homestead presides atop a hill, with a stone bridge, lake, curving paths, gently sloping hills, and bucolic vegetation creating a picturesque vista. The artist’s tight, detailed style, infused with green and autumnal hues, aptly captures the romantic feel of this cultivated landscape.
Point Breeze, the Estate of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte at Bordentown, New Jersey
1817–20
Accession Number
69538
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
68.6 × 92.7 cm (27 × 36 1/2 in.)
Classification
painting
Credit Line
Through prior acquisition of the Friends of American Art Collection