Point Breeze, the Estate of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte at Bordentown, New Jersey

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

Charles B. Lawrence

1817–20

Accession Number

69538

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

68.6 × 92.7 cm (27 × 36 1/2 in.)

Classification

painting

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Through prior acquisition of the Friends of American Art Collection